The Turmoil · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The book is dedicated to Laurel.
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.
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.
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.
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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Dedication

The Turmoil

I

II

III