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The Turmoil · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington.

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  1. Chapter 1

    Dedication

    The book is dedicated to Laurel.

  2. Chapter 2

    The Turmoil

    The chapter introduces the Sheridan family and the industrial city, focusing on Bibbs Sheridan's return from a sanitarium and his struggle to fit into his father's world of business and ambition.

  3. Chapter 3

    I

    The chapter describes the transformation of a midland city from a leisurely, neighborly town into a dirty, industrial metropolis driven by the relentless pursuit of bigness and wealth. It contrasts the old, clean, and unhurried life with the new, smoky, and chaotic urban existence, highlighting the influx of diverse populations, the rise of a cockney type, and the worship of bigness as the ultimate god.

  4. Chapter 4

    II

    This chapter introduces Bibbs Sheridan, the 'disappointment' of the Sheridan family, a frail and nervous young man who failed in the machine shop and was sent to a sanitarium. His father, James Sheridan, a self-made industrialist who embodies the city's gritty optimism, dismisses Bibbs's illness as laziness and contrasts him unfavorably with his successful siblings, Jim, Roscoe, and Edith. The chapter also paints a vivid portrait of Sheridan's love for the city and its smoke, which he sees as a sign of prosperity.

  5. Chapter 5

    III

    Bibbs Sheridan returns home from the sanitarium, met at the station by his sister Edith. During the car ride to the New House, Edith discusses family dynamics, social climbing, and the Sheridans' desire to be accepted by the old-money families, particularly the Vertreeses. Bibbs observes the family's wealth and tensions, including Edith's resentment toward Sibyl.

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  1. Chapter 6IV
  2. Chapter 7V
  3. Chapter 8VI
  4. Chapter 9VII
  5. Chapter 10VIII
  6. Chapter 11Chapter IX
  7. Chapter 12Chapter X
  8. Chapter 13XI
  9. Chapter 14XII
  10. Chapter 15XIII
  11. Chapter 16XIV
  12. Chapter 17XV
  13. Chapter 18XVI
  14. Chapter 19XVII
  15. Chapter 20Chapter XVIII
  16. Chapter 21XIX
  17. Chapter 22Chapter XX
  18. Chapter 23Chapter XXI
  19. Chapter 24XXII
  20. Chapter 25XXIII
  21. Chapter 26Chapter XXIV
  22. Chapter 27XXV
  23. Chapter 28XXVI
  24. Chapter 29XXVII
  25. Chapter 30Chapter XXVIII
  26. Chapter 31XXIX
  27. Chapter 32Chapter XXX
  28. Chapter 33XXXI
  29. Chapter 34XXXII
  30. Chapter 35Chapter XXXIII