The Plastic Age · Chapter
XV explained
After Sanford's football victory over Raleigh, the campus settles into a normal routine.
What happens
After Sanford's football victory over Raleigh, the campus settles into a normal routine. Hugh attends numerous bull sessions, many of which devolve into crude talk. In a session in Gordon Ross's room, the conversation turns serious as the students debate sex, morality, religion, and the meaning of life. Hugh, confused by conflicting ideas, finds himself questioning the beliefs he grew up with.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because Hugh reaches the peak of his emotional and psychological turmoil,…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Sexuality and Morality
The bull session centers on sexual behavior, chastity, and the conflict between desire and moral upbringing.
- Disillusionment and Loss of Innocence
Hugh and others question the beliefs instilled by parents and church, feeling lost and confused.
- College Life: Idealism vs. Reality
The contrast between the ideal of gentlemanly conduct and the reality of crude bull sessions and moral ambiguity.
Characters to notice
- Hugh Carver
Attends bull sessions, feels confused about his beliefs, and quotes Lavengro in defense of life's sweetness.
- Gordon Ross
Senior host of the bull session; listens quietly and offers measured comments.
- George Winsor
Sophomore who questions why students engage in smut sessions and seeks deeper answers.
- Melville Burbank
Junior who argues that smut talk is sublimation of sex instincts and later discusses the futility of Christ's philosophy.
- Keith Nutter
Sophomore notorious for dissipations; defends his behavior and quotes the Rubaiyat.
- Donald Ferguson
Lazily participates, expresses disillusionment with childhood religious teachings, and quotes the Rubaiyat.
Key passages
“There's night and day, brother, both sweet things; sun, moon, and stars, brother, all sweet things; there's likewise a wind on the heath. Life is very sweet, brother; who would wish to die?”
Life is full of beautiful and simple pleasures; why would anyone want to end it?
Hugh quotes Lavengro to counter Burbank's pessimism about the world.
“Come, Beloved, fill the Cup that clears Today of past Regrets and future Fears. Tomorrow? Why, Tomorrow I may be Myself with Yesterday's seven thousand Years.”
Live for today and enjoy pleasure, because the future is uncertain and death may come at any time.
Nutter and Ferguson quote the Rubaiyat to justify a hedonistic approach to life.
