The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

The next day, Janey refuses to go to school, and Betsy sympathizes with her daughter, disparaging the school as run down and shabby. Tom convinces Janey to go to school, but she demands that he go with her to examine a hallway that frightens her. Though he will be late for work, Tom takes Janey to school. He learns that Janey was knocked down in the cramped, crowded, claustrophobic hall. Leaving the school, he resolves to earn more money to pay for private school for his children. Alternatively, he could campaign for a new public school to be built in South Bay, which would also raise the value of his grandmother’s land.

Two days later, Tom begins working as Hopkins’s personal assistant. He dictates responses to Hopkins’s mail, though he receives numerous edits and suggestions. As he sets meetings, Tom receives a request from Caesar Gardella. Tom calls Gardella, who reveals that he has a new job but promises to contact Tom if he hears anything about Maria. Tom assumes that he will never hear what happened to Maria or his son.

Ogden reveals that Tom will continue to work on the mental health project alongside his duties as Hopkins’s personal assistant. Ogden is critical and demanding, telling Tom that he must learn to anticipate Hopkins’s needs. Tom is quietly angry as he returns to his desk, where he struggles to focus on the immense workload. He does not know how he will have time to do everything. The ticking of his watch reminds him of Maria. Betsy telephones, suggesting that he come home to prepare for their meeting. Tom tells her how packed his schedule has become. He blames himself for giving people impossible expectations of him, as well as for wasting his time. He returns to work.

Tom and Betsy attend the public hearing on the proposed new school. Building a new school would allow for the building of new houses (such as Tom’s housing project), but not everyone wants the town’s population to grow. Tom is confronted directly about his plans, and he admits that he has a housing project in mind but argues that the current state of the public school demands that they build a new school regardless of the housing plans. He receives some applause, but the debate rages back and forth. Betsy unexpectedly speaks in favor of the school, and a vote is planned for the following week. On the way home, Betsy and Tom praise each other’s efforts. At home, Tom receives a call from Hopkins, inviting him on a four-day trip to Hollywood to learn about the business. Betsy is pleased for the opportunity, though it is the longest that they will have been apart since the war. She suggests that they take a vacation sometime soon, without the children.

Tom meets Hopkins at the airport. In public, Hopkins seems meek and small. He works throughout the trip and remains energetic even after the long flight. In a flurry of meetings, Tom is introduced to many people. At the hotel after a long day, Hopkins and Tom talk in private. Hopkins hints that Tom could move to Hollywood to set up a new division of the company, spending a year on the west coast. Tom suspects that Hopkins is trying to politely get rid of him. Tom speaks frankly, telling Hopkins that he does not want to make the sacrifices that Hopkins has made. Hopkins laughs and appreciates Tom’s honesty. He resolves to find the right place in the company for Tom. He suggests a full-time position running the mental health committee out of the house in South Bay, meaning no commuting. In a passionate flurry of words, Hopkins then defends his work habits. Tom thanks Hopkins and they retire for the night.

The next day, Hopkins agrees to send Tom back to New York and speaks enthusiastically about the future. He asks Tom to deliver an envelope full of plans to Ogden. Tom calls Betsy to tell her the news. He catches the next plane home and arrives late and tired. Dropping past the office on the way home, he hands the envelope to Ogden and then reads a message left at his desk. The message is from Gardella, who explains that Louis has died and Maria is desperate for help. Tom arranges to meet Gardella for lunch, believing that he will need to tell Betsy about the affair so that he can help Maria. He hopes the housing project will succeed so he will have enough money. Tom meets Gardella for lunch. Maria has written a letter, which Gardella hands to Tom. Enclosing a photograph of Tom’s son, Maria asks Tom for financial help. Gardella suggests that $100 a month would do a great deal to help Maria and the boy; Tom asks for time to think and make arrangements. Gardella appreciates Tom’s desire to help. For the rest of the day, Tom works hard and drinks too much. He feels terrible and, reaching home, lies on his bed. Betsy tries to help him but he tells her nothing.

The day of the school vote arrives. The community is divided as to how to vote. Tom works all day and returns to South Bay, thinking of Maria. The voting closes and the new school is approved. After, Bernstein invites Tom for a drink to discuss the zoning problem. He recommends that Tom submit his plans as soon as possible. Tom returns home to Betsy, hoping to tell her about Maria. After Betsy puts the children to bed, they talk in private. Tom struggles to tell Betsy everything. He plans to support the child with $100 a month, and he would like Betsy’s blessing. During his two-month affair, Betsy remembers, she assumed he was dead. Tom insists that he loves Betsy more than he loved Maria. He explains that he felt scared and hopeless during the war, which drove him into the affair. He wants to put right what he can by supporting the child. Resentfully, Betsy gives her blessing but expands on the state of their passionless marriage. They feign affection, she says, for the sake of the children. Tom hopes that things will be better in the future. He chases her outside and kisses her, though she bites him and draws blood. As they roll on the grass, he holds her while she sobs. Betsy asks for time alone to think. From inside the house, he hears Betsy start the car and set off down the same road on which his father crashed many years before. He watches her drive away and then returns home.

Betsy calls a few hours later, explaining that the car broke down when she was returning home. She is in a police station, and Tom arranges for her to catch a cab home. Tom greets Betsy outside the house and they walk together. As Tom declares his love for her, Betsy explains her emotions. She wants to help Maria and her son and she wants Tom to tell her about his traumatic experiences in the war. She wants their marriage to be honest. Tom explains how, returning from the war, nothing in the peaceful society made sense to him. Now, he is thankful to Betsy and Caesar Gardella for shaking him out of his cynicism. He has become “almost an optimist” (273). He wants to take a vacation with just Betsy. They affirm their love for one another.

Tom talks to Bernstein about setting up a support mechanism for his illegitimate son. Bernstein agrees to do this free of charge because he likes “simple justice.” Tom, delighted, rushes out and meets with Betsy. They plan to drive together to Vermont.