Gutenberg Articles

Appearance

Excerpt ​

Excerpt from Alice Adams, by Booth Tarkington

Thus Alice illuminated the dull time; but she retired from the interview
with her father still manfully displaying an outward cheerfulness, while
depression grew heavier within, as if she had eaten soggy cake. Her
father knew nothing whatever of the stage, and she was aware of his
ignorance, yet for some reason his innocently skeptical amusement
reduced her bright project almost to nothing. Something like this always
happened, it seemed; she was continually making these illuminations, all
gay with gildings and colourings; and then as soon as anybody else so
much as glanced at them--even her father, who loved her--the pretty
designs were stricken with a desolating pallor. “Is this LIFE?” Alice
wondered, not doubting that the question was original and all her own.
“Is it life to spend your time imagining things that aren't so, and
never will be? Beautiful things happen to other people; why should I be
the only one they never CAN happen to?”

The mood lasted overnight; and was still upon her the next afternoon
when an errand for her father took her down-town. Adams had decided
to begin smoking again, and Alice felt rather degraded, as well as
embarrassed, when she went into the large shop her father had named, and
asked for the cheap tobacco he used in his pipe. She fell back upon an
air of amused indulgence, hoping thus to suggest that her purchase
was made for some faithful old retainer, now infirm; and although the
calmness of the clerk who served her called for no such elaboration of
her sketch, she ornamented it with a little laugh and with the remark,
as she dropped the package into her coat-pocket, “I'm sure it'll please
him; they tell me it's the kind he likes.”

Still playing Lady Bountiful, smiling to herself in anticipation of the
joy she was bringing to the simple old negro or Irish follower of the
family, she left the shop; but as she came out upon the crowded pavement
her smile vanished quickly.

Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington ​

Context of the Source ​

Alice Adams (1921) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Booth Tarkington, a prominent American writer of the early 20th century. The novel is a satirical and tragicomic portrayal of social climbing, class anxiety, and the illusions of the American Dream in the post-World War I Midwest. The titular character, Alice Adams, is a young woman from a lower-middle-class family who desperately seeks social acceptance among the wealthy elite of her town. Her father, Virgil Adams, is a well-meaning but ineffective businessman whose failures weigh heavily on the family’s aspirations.

This excerpt captures Alice’s internal struggle—her fantasies of grandeur, her shame over her family’s modest circumstances, and her growing disillusionment with life. The passage is a microcosm of the novel’s central themes: self-deception, social pretension, and the painful gap between aspiration and reality.

Themes in the Excerpt ​

  1. The Collapse of Illusion vs. Reality

    • Alice is a dreamer who constantly embellishes her life with fantasies ("illuminations, all gay with gildings and colourings"). However, these imaginative constructions crumble when confronted with reality—especially when others (even her loving but clueless father) fail to validate them.
    • The soggy cake metaphor suggests that her hopes are unfulfilling, heavy, and indigestible—a far cry from the sweet, satisfying life she imagines.
    • Her question—"Is this LIFE?"—reveals her existential despair. She wonders if life is nothing but futile imagination, while others seem to effortlessly experience the beauty she craves.

  2. Shame and Social Pretension

    • Alice is deeply ashamed of her family’s modest status. When she buys her father’s cheap tobacco, she invents a fictional "faithful old retainer" to distance herself from the embarrassment of her father’s humble tastes.
    • Her performative charm ("an air of amused indulgence," "a little laugh") is a defense mechanism—she acts the part of a gracious lady (Lady Bountiful, a reference to a benevolent aristocratic character in literature) to hide her insecurity.
    • The clerk’s indifference underscores the absurdity of her act—no one cares about her performance except herself.

  3. Isolation and Self-Pity

    • Alice feels uniquely cursed—"why should I be the only one [beautiful things] never CAN happen to?" Her self-pity is both tragic and ironic because she refuses to see her own role in her unhappiness.
    • The sudden vanishing of her smile when she steps into the crowded street symbolizes the fragility of her illusions—they cannot survive in the real world.

  4. The Futility of Performance

    • Alice is constantly performing—for her father, for strangers, even for herself. But her acts are hollow because they lack genuine substance.
    • The tobacco errand is a small but telling example of how she twists reality to fit her desired narrative, only to be reminded of her powerlessness when faced with the indifference of the world.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Analysis ​

  1. Metaphor & Simile

    • "Depression grew heavier within, as if she had eaten soggy cake."
      • The soggy cake is a visceral metaphor for disappointment—something that should be pleasant but is instead unappetizing and burdensome.
    • "Her bright project was stricken with a desolating pallor."
      • "Desolating pallor" suggests death or sickness—her dreams are drained of life when exposed to reality.

  2. Irony & Dramatic Irony

    • Alice believes her question ("Is this LIFE?") is original and profound, but the reader recognizes it as a clichéd lament of the disillusioned. This unintentional irony highlights her self-absorption.
    • Her performance for the clerk is pointless—he doesn’t care, but she needs the illusion of control.

  3. Symbolism

    • The cheap tobacco symbolizes her family’s lack of refinement—something she desperately wants to hide.
    • The crowded pavement represents the harsh, indifferent world that does not conform to her fantasies.

  4. Free Indirect Discourse

    • Tarkington blurs the line between Alice’s thoughts and the narrator’s voice, allowing us to experience her self-deception firsthand.
    • Example: "Beautiful things happen to other people; why should I be the only one they never CAN happen to?"
      • This sounds like her inner monologue, making her self-pity more immediate and raw.

  5. Tone & Mood

    • The tone shifts from whimsical (her "illuminations") to bitter and melancholic (her existential questioning).
    • The mood is one of crushing disappointment, reinforced by sensory details (the weight of depression, the vanishing smile).

Significance of the Passage ​

  1. Characterization of Alice Adams

    • This excerpt perfectly encapsulates Alice’s tragedy: she is intelligent, imaginative, and sensitive, but her obsession with appearances prevents her from finding real happiness.
    • Her self-deception is both pitiable and frustrating—she blames life for her misery rather than confronting her own limitations.

  2. Critique of the American Dream & Social Mobility

    • Tarkington satirizes the myth of upward mobility—Alice believes she can will herself into high society, but her performances are empty.
    • The novel questions whether happiness is possible when one is constantly measuring oneself against others.

  3. Universal Themes of Disillusionment

    • Alice’s struggle between fantasy and reality is universal. Many people create illusions to cope with disappointment, only to find them shattered by indifference.
    • Her existential questioning ("Is this LIFE?") resonates with modernist themes of alienation and meaninglessness.

  4. Foreshadowing of Alice’s Downfall

    • This moment hints at her later failures—her social climbing will lead to humiliation, and her refusal to accept reality will deepen her suffering.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters ​

This excerpt is a masterclass in psychological realism. Tarkington does not mock Alice outright—instead, he exposes her vulnerability with sharp, empathetic prose. Her desperation to be seen as something she is not is both tragic and darkly comic, making her a compelling, flawed protagonist.

The passage also serves as a microcosm of the novel’s broader critique—American society rewards illusion over truth, and those who chase validation through performance often end up more lonely than before. Alice’s momentary smile, her fabricated story, and her sudden despair all reveal the cost of living in a world where appearance matters more than reality.

In the end, Alice’s question—"Is this LIFE?"—lingers unanswered, leaving the reader to ponder whether her suffering is self-inflicted or the inevitable result of a society that demands pretense.