William Dean Howell's The Rise of Silas Lapham

William Dean Howells was the most prominent author in the school of realism, and The Rise of Silas Lapham is his most prominent work. The book has been described as a paradigm for the United States in the late 19th century, as the Industrial Revolution took hold, fortunes were won and lost, and America searched for a new identity. This paper will analyze Howells' seminal work and how it fits into the Realist tradition that the author helped create.

Silas Lapham as a Man and as a Symbol

A cursory plot summary would seem to indicate that The Rise of Silas Lapham details Lapham's rise from a man of few means to a wealthy business owner. After all, that is the American myth, the idea anyone can become rich if they work hard enough or are lucky enough. The title apparently confused some, such as one English reviewer who admitted puzzlement that The Rise of Silas Lapham detailed a financial catastrophe (Carter 165).

Howells' title refers not to that rise but to what happens later, after Silas achieves financial success, loses his business, then rises again, though not in an economic sense. Lapham's rise is from a greedy man with too much pride to a sadder but wiser man, one who is much more thoughtful and considerate and appreciative of life's gifts. That rise is what Howells is celebrating.

Silas' rise parallels that of his house. After becoming wealthy, he sets about building a grand house that "becomes, in almost every respect, neatly symbolic of the moral

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dilemma of whether to take advantage of these foreign buyers and ultimately decides that he cannot do it. He sells to the railroad for a fair price, rendering Rogers penniless. This time, however, Silas has acted morally. Silas loses his fortune but emerges as a noble character, a selfless man who loans money to his typist even as his financial world is crumbling around him. "Lapham, at the end, a ruined man, could tell the minister solemnly that he had been blessed and come out of the hell of selfishness" (Carter 168). Howells intended Silas' story as a paradigm for the U.S. in the 19th century. Robber barons abounded at the time, with fortunes being won and lost daily and lives often ruined. American capitalism was portrayed as heartless and avaricious, but Howells had a more optimistic view. Silas had risen to the top by stepping on some people, then appeared on a verge of losing everything. He is faced with a moral choice do the right thing and bankrupt Rogers and bring ruination for himself, or do the wrong thing and bring more good than harm. Silas chooses the former path, reflecting Howells' belief that American society has a conscience nurtured by the family, the church, and the culture (Eble 97). Similarly, A

Category: Literature - W