The Bonfire of the Vanities

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1987

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Chapter 25-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 13-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 13 Summary: “The Day-Glo Eel”

Weiss asks Kramer to attend a protest for justice for Henry in the hope of finding witnesses there. Kramer arrives at the demonstration site in the Bronx with detectives Martin and Goldberg. They spot a Black young man on the streets, fixing a hubcap. Martin aggressively questions the man, asking him what he is doing on a deserted road in the middle of the afternoon. The man moves away. Kramer feels Martin’s behavior shows why Black and Latino people are suspicious of the police. At the same time, he admires Martin’s bravado. Protestors, white and Black, begin arriving at the site. Peter Fallow is around as well. Initially, Peter is disappointed to see only 30 people at the demonstration. However, as the afternoon proceeds, TV crews and other newspaper reporters gather, and the crowd swells. Reverend Bacon and Annie Lamb address the crowd.

In his Park Avenue apartment, Sherman longs to confess everything to Judy but holds back. Campbell shows him a clay rabbit she has molded in school, and Sherman is inundated with love and admiration for his daughter’s skill. He is afraid Campbell’s world might change for the worse soon. Judy watches the Bronx protest on the TV. When a reporter remarks that the unidentified Mercedes has a number beginning from RE, RF, RB, or RP, she innocently remarks on the coincidence that their car too has an RF number. Sherman freezes.

Chapter 14 Summary: “I Don’t Know How to Lie”

Sherman is now consumed by fear at the terrible turn his life has taken. The next morning, he sees that The City Light has published an editorial asking for an urgent investigation into Henry Lamb’s case. Freddy has read the editorial as well and calls Sherman, asking him to see the criminal lawyer, Thomas Killian, immediately. An exhausted Sherman puts off calling Killian. He goes home early, and Judy and Campbell are out. Just then, Martin and Goldberg arrive at the apartment. They tell Sherman this is just routine questioning for a case they are investigating. As Sherman takes them to his study, he notices the policemen take in his lavishly decorated home. He wishes the apartment did not look so ostentatious as the wealth on display prejudices the detectives against him.

The detectives tell Sherman they are checking out every Mercedes in New York beginning with RF in connection with the Henry Lamb case. Sherman acts cool at first but loses his nerve when the detectives ask to see his car. Sherman begins to fidget and cagily refuses to show the detectives the Mercedes, though he admits it is parked in a nearby garage. Sherman also gives vague answers when they ask him about the last time he took the car out and whether his wife drives the vehicle. Sherman tells the detectives he wants to talk to them only with his attorney present. Martin and Goldberg leave. Sherman decides he needs to see Freddy immediately. As he is about to step out, Judy returns. Judy tells Sherman he cannot leave as they have a dinner party with Inez and Leon Bavardages, a wealthy socialite couple. The party will be filled with the best of Manhattan society and cannot be missed. Sherman promises he will be back in a moment. He rushes out of the apartment and tries calling Freddy Button but gets no answer. Maria’s phone goes unanswered as well.

Chapter 15 Summary: “The Masque of the Red Death”

Sherman has rented a chauffeured limousine for the night at the Bavardages’. They could have easily taken a taxi to the Bavardages’ Fifth Avenue apartment but being seen in a cab would have been a social embarrassment. Nevertheless, Sherman frets about the way his and Judy’s lifestyle has left them with little savings. The party is a mix of famous writers, industrialists, and socialites. Sherman wants to impress the guests but is also put off by their pretentiousness. He does not like Inez Bavardages, the hostess, who is Judy’s friend. Sherman finds her skeletally thin and privately refers to Judy’s wealthy and skinny women friends as “Social X-rays.”

To Sherman’s shock, the Ruskins are among the dinner party guests. He briefly wonders if Judy has deliberately brought him and Maria together because she knows about their affair. Sherman dismisses the possibility and manages to have a private conversation with Maria. He tells Maria about the police’s visit. Maria gets angry at Sherman for not showing the detectives the car since Sherman had the car cleaned anyway. She tells Sherman they will discuss the police visit later. Lord Buffing, one of the writers at the party, gives a toast, which refers to “The Masque of the Red Death,” a dark, supernatural tale by Edgar Allan Poe. Sherman thinks the reference is a bad omen as Henry is from the Edgar Allan Poe projects. The dinner guests are left embarrassed by Buffing’s toast, but Sherman knows that Buffing’s speech refers to morality because the writer himself is dying from AIDS.

Chapter 16 Summary: “Tawkin Irish”

Detectives Martin and Goldberg meet Kramer and Bernie Fitzgibbon, the chief of the Homicide Bureau, for an update on Henry’s case. The detectives tell Kramer and Fitzgibbon they may have a suspect in Sherman McCoy. Though the policemen had dropped into his apartment for a routine check, Sherman started to come apart as the detectives questioned him. Later, the detectives figured out the garage where Sherman’s car was parked and checked it out themselves. The car was clean, but the parking attendant Dan told them he had seen Sherman’s jacket torn the night Henry was hit. Martin and Goldberg think they should pursue a case against Sherman. Fitzgibbon asks them to proceed with caution as their case is based on conjecture.

Sherman goes over to the office of Thomas Killian, the criminal lawyer referred by Freddy Button. According to Killian, if Henry dies, the charge levied against Sherman could be criminally negligent homicide. However, Killian can ensure the DA’s office will not be able to prove any of these charges, especially since no witness has come forward. Sherman asks Killian if turning himself in to the police might help him get some kind of reprieve. Killian laughs and dismisses the idea. He tells Sherman he wants to speak with Maria to find out if she will testify that she was the one driving the car.

Chapter 17 Summary: “The Favor Bank”

Abe Weiss, the Bronx District Attorney, is upset with the media for focusing only on the Henry Lamb case even though his office is currently prosecuting three of the biggest drug dealers in the Bronx. On TV, there are reports that Weiss only shows interest in cases where the alleged perpetrators are Black and ignores those where Black Americans are victims. The TV shows a banner reading, “Weiss justice is Apartheid justice” (408). Weiss and Bernie Fitzgibbon confer that bringing a case against the white and wealthy Sherman McCoy will help Weiss’s image. Kramer notes that Weiss barely takes notice of him, talking mostly to Fitzgibbon. Later, Kramer gets a call from a lawyer at Legal Aid, the agency that provides free legal services for those who cannot afford a lawyer. Cecil Hayden, the lawyer, tells Kramer that a man called Roland Auburn was with Henry when the Mercedes hit him. Roland Auburn wants to make a deal with Kramer in exchange for coming forth as a witness.

Meanwhile, Sherman has been unable to reach Maria, even though she told him she would talk with him after the Bavardages’ dinner. Sherman and Killian meet to discuss Sherman’s case. Sherman tells Killian he is sure Maria is not avoiding him on purpose since she loves him. A skeptical Killian suggests that when Sherman does meet Maria, he should be wearing a wire to record their conversation. Sherman is appalled at the suggestion. Killian also informs Sherman that he has been in touch with Bernie Fitzgibbon at the DA’s office. Sherman can’t understand why Killian would ask the DA’s office for information, but according to Killian, this exchange of information is usual, part of “the Favor Bank” that connects the press, lawyers, and the government (417).

Abe Vogel and Peter Fallow meet for lunch. While Vogel complements Fallow on his coverage of the Henry Lamb case, he feels Fallow has not been focusing on the negligence of the hospital. Reverend Bacon thinks it is time to press against the hospital, especially as the search for the Mercedes and its driver seems to be flagging.

Chapter 18 Summary: “Shuhmun”

Kramer, Martin, and Goldberg meet Cecil Hayden and his client, Roland Auburn, in a small office in the court. The muscular Roland is handcuffed since is in custody on charges of drug peddling. A few weeks ago, Weiss had put out a press release referring to Roland as “the Crack King of Evergreen Avenue” (442). Cecil tells Kramer and the detectives that Roland will talk to them if they promise to drop the charges against him. Kramer tells Roland that though they cannot promise him anything, they will help him if he tells them the truth. Roland finally recounts the events of the night Henry was hit. Henry is just an acquaintance. Roland and Henry were walking on Bruckner Boulevard when a car looking to make an exit hit Henry. Henry fell and said he had hurt his arm. The Mercedes that hit Henry stopped up ahead, and a man and a woman got out. Roland shouted at them that his friend was hurt, but the man and woman ignored him and got into the car, switching seats. The woman drove away, but not before Roland heard her call the man “Shuhmun.” Martin and Goldberg immediately understand the woman must have been saying “Sherman.” They show Roland a picture of Sherman, whom he positively identifies. However, he does not recognize the photo of Sherman’s wife. He says the woman with Sherman was younger and more beautiful. Roland tells the detectives that after the accident, he took Henry to Lincoln Hospital in a taxi. Roland did not stick around at the hospital or report the case to the police as a summons for drug possession was out against him.

Chapters 13-18 Analysis

Marking the rising action middle section of the novel, Chapters 13-18 are crucial in developing the plot and themes of the novel. In terms of plot development, Martin and Goldberg’s visit to Sherman’s apartment and the emergence of Roland Auburn are critical events that change the course of Sherman’s fortunes. Before these events, DA Weiss is skeptical about discovering the car that hit Henry and connecting its driver to the hit. However, Sherman seals his fate when he behaves suspiciously in front of Martin and Goldberg. The novel contains many instances of Sherman’s errors as well as times when pride is his downfall. One example of this is Sherman’s refusal to take Feddy Button’s advice and seek out Killian in time. Sherman is thus unprepared for the visit of the detectives. Further, even though Sherman had his car cleaned, he refuses to show it to the detectives, fearing Dan, the garage attendant, may incriminate him. Ironically, Dan will testify against Sherman in any case. Sherman’s previous dismissive treatment of Dan will play a part in Dan turning against him.

Roland’s emergence highlights the theme of The Internal Corruption in Powerful Institutions. Roland comes forth so he can get the drug charges against him dropped. Kramer is ready to consider the deal even though the charges against Roland are justified so that Kramer can be the one who provides Weiss with his “Great White Defendant” (413). The phrase refers to the great white whale in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick (1851), which has culturally become shorthand for a singular, narcissistic pursuit. Weiss wants to prosecute a white defendant not to serve justice but to improve his office’s image.

Another instance of the theme of corrupt networks at work emerges in Chapter 17. Thomas Killian, a defense lawyer, is shown to be connected to Bernie Fitzgibbon, the head of the Homicide Bureau responsible for prosecuting defendants. These men, supposedly on opposite sides of the criminal justice system, exchange favors to keep the system running. The subtext here is that the system is bigger than the defendants caught in it; in exchanging favors and playing power games, lawyers and bureaucrats often lose sight of the very people they are meant to help and protect.

The novel’s exploration of social hierarchies and the importance of status deepens in Chapter 15 when the McCoys attend the Bavardages’ party. Judy is insistent Sherman attend the party because, as Sherman notes, “dinner at Inez and Leon Bavardages’ [is] as important to Judy as the Giscard had been to him” (355). Taking a cab to the party will not do as being seen hailing a cab outside the Bavardages’ apartment is social humiliation. Thus Sherman and Judy hire a limousine, which Sherman notes with agony is “hemorrhaging money!” At the party, Sherman and Judy cannot spend time together as that would show they are socially inept. They must find different groups with whom to mingle. Sherman is even made to feel small for being a bond salesperson by certain guests. The guests are all white since the token Black invitee may be common at a public party but never in a private Fifth Avenue home. The picture that emerges here is of a world obsessed with appearances, social hierarchies, and superficialities. Ironically, however, Sherman has already moved away from the world of the privileged. He forces a social smile while battling panic over Martin and Goldberg’s visit.

Lord Buffing’s speech pierces the superficiality of the dinner party, but the guests’ reaction to it illustrates the theme of The Moral Vacuity of High Society. Buffing recounts the plot of “The Masque of the Red Death,” in which Prince Prospero makes every effort in the world to save himself and his guests from a deadly plague known as the Red Death but fails in the end. The toast embarrasses the guests because it injects a “somber note into an evening at the Bavardages’” (387). The reason the guests are uncomfortable is that the story reminds them that each one of them is fallible and mortal, despite their wealth and connections. Such scenes occur a few times in the novel, acting as a corrective against the world of excess and superficiality its characters occupy.

The theme of the Disparities of Race and Class is highlighted by the protest rally. Martin and Goldberg harass a tall Black young man at the protest site just for being alone on a deserted street. When the man moves away, Kramer notes, “they wonder why people hate them in the ghetto” (311). At the same time, Kramer is impressed by Martin’s Irish bravado in intimidating a man much bigger than him, ignoring that it is Martin’s privilege as a white police officer and the danger it represents that causes the Black man to move away. Martin’s behavior and Kramer’s reaction show the complex race and power dynamics of the text, as do the events at the protest. The protest is an example of Wolfe’s use of social satire. Many of the white attendees are described as being there just for the sake of protesting, without understanding the nuances of the case. When Fallow arrives at the spot, he looks so hungover Martin laughs that “he’s bleeding into his squash” (315). Fallow is told a crowd is guaranteed because Channel 1 News’s producer and Reverend Bacon are cronies. The promise is made true when a TV signal goes up, and people begin gathering at the scene from neighboring housing projects. The entire protest takes on the quality of “a curious little theater-in-the-round” (325). Rather than an organic demonstration, it becomes a media circus.

Wolfe’s character names often symbolize a quality of the character, as in the works of Charles Dickens. Thus, Peter Fallow signifies sterility, “fallow” meaning unproductive farmland. Henry Lamb is the proverbial sacrificial lamb, the innocent suffering for society’s sins. Maria’s name, referring to the Biblical Mary, a paragon of virtue, is ironic. Reverend Bacon’s last name evokes greed, as “bacon” is often used euphemistically for money. At the Bavardages’ party, one of the guests is the author Nunnally Void, whose name signifies his empty pompousness as it refers to the expression “null and void.” Sherman’s surname, McCoy, is a reference to the expression “the real Mccoy,” meaning “the real thing.” By imbuing character names with symbolic meaning, Wolfe highlights that the characters represent broader facets of society, a common feature of satire.