Buddenbrooks

Jean Buddenbrook insists that his children subordinate their personal happiness to the family's business interests. Tony Buddenbrook is married off to Bendix Grünlich after a holiday romance, a match meant to secure the enterprise. Grünlich soon goes bankrupt, and Jean brings Tony's wife home to Lübeck to be part of the family and its business destiny.

Tony's brothers grow up learning the family trade and set off to gain experience in Amsterdam and London. The outsiders' view of the business and its risks heightens the pressure on Loyalties and profits back home. This cross-continental training foreshadows the generational strain to come.

Tony's marriage to Bendix Grünlich collapses under financial pressures and social expectations, leaving the family humiliated and Tony's position precarious. The failure reverberates through the household and weakens the Firm's standing. Jean retrieves Tony to Lübeck to preserve appearances and the business reputation.

Crushed by Tony's disaster and a string of unlucky transactions, Jean Buddenbrook transfers control of the business to his elder son, Thomas. The decision marks a turning point, moving responsibility from the old generation to the next. Personal happiness is further subordinated to corporate survival.

Thomas ends his secret relationship with a florist's assistant and marries Gerda, a Dutch heiress, seeking an advantageous alliance. He has spent time in Valparaiso, adding a cosmopolitan touch to the match. The marriage strengthens Dutch and aristocratic connections around the firm.

Christian Buddenbrook returns to Lübeck after years abroad, showing little interest in the family business. He spends his time drinking and haunting the theatre, following his own pleasures rather than the enterprise's needs. His lack of commitment foreshadows the decline of the younger generation's stake in the firm.

The patriarch Jean Buddenbrook dies, leaving his widow Bethsy to hold the family together in trying times. Her resolve becomes essential to maintaining appearances and managing the dwindling fortunes. The loss of the head of the family accelerates the firm’s fragility.

Tony marries Alois Permaneder, a cheerful Bavarian hop merchant, and moves to Munich. Complications from drinking and a troublesome maid push her back to Lübeck. The journey highlights Tony's restlessness and recurring personal conflicts.

Tony proposes expanding the business by buying grain in advance from Prussian aristocratic estates. He purchases an entire harvest, but a hailstorm destroys it, wiping out the outlay and damaging his reputation. The episode demonstrates how risky speculation jeopardizes the fragile family fortune.

Gerda gives birth to a son, Hanno, who proves to be a gifted musician rather than a future businessman. His disinterest in the family enterprise contrasts with the expectations placed on him. The child's presence adds a personal dimension to the Buddenbrook dynasty.

Thomas is elected a senator, continuing the family tradition. After the extraction of a troublesome tooth, he collapses and dies, and his will calls for liquidating the nearly moribund firm. The tragedy accelerates the end of the Buddenbrook era.

Hanno dies in his teens, ending the musical promise of the next generation. Gerda returns to the Netherlands, retreating from Lübeck and the family business. The loss of potential heirs marks the decline of the once-great dynasty.

Tony and Christian, facing a broken inheritance, sell the family home and its contents. They go their separate ways, marking the final fragmentation of the Buddenbrook lineage. The end of the tale emphasizes the cost of prioritizing business over personal happiness.