Look Homeward, Angel

At age 19 Eugene graduates from university with his parents in attendance. Unsure of what he wants to do in the future, Eugene seeks the counsel of one of his professors, Vergil Weldon, and shares various possible plans for this future. When he mentions attending Harvard, Weldon advises him to follow this path, saying, “There you will find yourself” (489). Nostalgic, Eugene takes his time before leaving Pulpit Hill for good.

As Eugene journeys home once again, he contemplates the future of his family. Ben’s death had wrought a certainty: “The great wild pattern of the family had been broken forever” (491). While Gant lingers between life and death, Eliza thrives at 60 years old and has sold multiple properties, including both Gant’s house and business. She uses this money to trade, “buying, selling, laying down options, in an intricate and bewildering web” (492). She is as obsessed with real estate as ever. Gant’s shop has been sold and will be destroyed to build a skyscraper.

Despite her previous claims, Helen continues to care for her father “in constant rhythms of wild energy and depletion, anger, hysteria, weariness and indifference” (492). Helen still has no children and continues to indulge in “medicines with high alcoholic content, homemade wines, and corn whisky” (492). Helen’s bitter resentment toward her mother is aggravated by Eliza’s indifference to Gant, whose “body was a rotten fabric which had thus far miraculously held together” (494). Helen becomes paranoid of her mother’s influence and convinces Gant to create a will in which he grants each of his children $5,000 and names Luke and her husband as executors. These events feed into “this ugly warfare of greed and hatred” (495), which includes Steve’s jealous harassment of Eugene and a subsequent physical altercation between all the brothers. As the family takes sides, Eugene spends his summer flirting and gossiping before being seduced by a married boarder. The relationship turns sour as the woman “became very ugly and bitter, and accused him of betraying, dishonoring, and deserting her” (496). Eventually Eliza ejects the woman from Dixieland.

Eugene does not decide to attend Harvard until a few days before the term starts. Eliza asks Eugene how he will fund his education and rejects Eugene’s request to use his part of the inheritance. She promises, once again, to pay for one year. Before Eugene’s departure, Luke presents him with a document stating that “he had already received the sum of five thousand dollars in consideration of college fees and expenses” (498). Eugene signs the paper immediately.

The day before he departs for Harvard, Eugene says goodbye to Eliza. He struggles to speak honestly and openly with her; despite the silence between them, Eliza “understood, she knew all he felt and wanted to say, her small weak eyes were wet as his with tears, her face was twisted in a painful grimace of sorrow” (500).

As Eugene travels through Altamont for the last time, he comes upon his father’s shop and “saw his father’s name, faded, on the old brick in moonlight. On the stone porch of the shop, the angels held their marble posture” (501). Eugene also sees the mysterious figure of a smoking man “half obscured in shadow” (501). He soon doubtfully recognizes this man as his deceased brother Ben, who claims not to be dead.

As Eugene and Ben speak, Eugene observes one of the marble angels in front of his father’s shop moving. Ben is unmoved by Eugene’s amazement and confusion. Ben confirms what Eugene has already sensed: He will never return to Altamont. Ben asks how long Eugene has felt there is nothing for him in Altamont. Eugene replies, “Always.”

Eugene peeks into Gant’s shop and sees the angels “walking to and fro like huge wound dolls of stone” (503). Eugene informs Ben of their father’s impending death and the plan to demolish his shop to build a skyscraper; Ben is aware of these details. Eugene looks at the Square in front of Gant’s shop and sees multiplied forms of himself and Ben throughout the years. Seeing himself in child form, Eugene calls out only to realize that all the forms have disappeared.

Ben asks Eugene what he seeks. When Eugene says he seeks “an end to hunger,” Ben replies, “There is no happy land. There is no end to hunger” (507). Eugene stays in the Square until morning as “Ben, like a fume of smoke, was melted into dawn” (508). Eugene stands and turns his eyes to the distance.