History 474A

Spring 2014

Devine

Sloan Wilson, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

The following study questions should not only help you prepare for the quiz and discussion of Wilson’s novel, but also aid you in thinking about the book’s themes. Wilson’s work was both popular and critically acclaimed when it was first published in 1955, and continues to this day to contribute to an understanding of life in the post war America of the fifties.

Broader Thematic Questions

1. Is this a book about conformity? Nonconformity? Are the Raths conformists or are they struggling against conformity? If Tom is not the stereotypical “man in a gray flannel suit,” which character(s) are?

2. For much of the story, why do Tom and Betsy have difficulty communicating?

3. Do you see any of the themes raised in Fussell’s Wartime addressed in Wilson’s novel? Do the plot twists in Wilson’s novel enable you to understand better the ideas Fussell raises in his book?

4. How do Tom’s war time experiences change him? How do Betsy’s war time experiences change her? Have these changes made Tom and Betsy stronger or have their experiences diminished them?

5. Is Betsy a supportive wife? Is she ambitious? Too ambitious? Is she wrong to criticize what she sees as Tom’s lack of purpose or drive?

6. Is Tom a responsible provider? Is he too careful? Too self-involved?

7. What is meant by the phrase, “On Greentree Avenue, contentment was an object of contempt?” Do Tom and Betsy seem to favor or reject the social climbing aspect of the suburban lifestyle?

8. What is your impression of fifties’ corporate America, as depicted in the book? What good things did a corporate job offer? What sacrifices did such a job require?

9. Does this book change your perception of the men who went off to fight World War II, often referred to as “The Greatest Generation?”

10. Tom and Hopkins represent different generations and different kinds of men. How do their values differ? Are men like Tom living off the success and hard work of men like Hopkins?

11. Why is Hopkins’s family life so unsatisfying? Who or what is to blame? How would you compare his family life to Tom’s?

12. Both Tom and Hopkins must make trade offs to achieve their goals. What have their trade offs been? Who has made the better trade offs?

13. To what extent does Betsy challenge, confirm, or complicate stereotypes about suburban housewives in the 1950s? What about Betsy makes her seem more “genuine” than such fifties stereotypes?

14. Tom’s speech is about mental health. Arguably, however, this entire novel is about mental health broadly defined. How so?

15. Given that many couples during the 1950s likely had experiences similar to Tom’s and Betsy’s – the book was a best seller for a reason! – how can reading this novel sixty years later enable us to gain a more nuanced understanding of white middle class life in suburbia? Can fiction shed light on a “larger truth” than non-fiction? If so, what “larger truth” does Man in the Gray Flannel Suit teach us?

Study Questions (Plot based)

1. What was the shape of the crack in the wall in Tom and Betsy’s house in Westport? What does it represent?

2. Why is the interview process at UBS so difficult for Tom?

3. How does Tom take to Mr. Hopkins and vice versa? What is it Tom is supposed to be doing for him?

4. What has happened to the money that Tom’s grandmother once had?

5. How would you judge Tom as a soldier? What made his scene with the young German sentry so memorable?

6. How does Caesar Gardella figure into Tom’s life, during and after the war?

7. In Tom’s premonition about death, who did he always see?

8. What is the significance in the story of the numbers 1 and 17?

9. What was ironic about Tom’s advice to the young paratroopers to just keep firing no matter what?

10. Is Mr. Hopkins disingenuous about his cause? What is the real object of the speech Tom is writing for Mr. Hopkins?

11. How does Betsy react to the news that he has landed the job at UBS?

12. How does Hopkins react to each draft of the speech Tom is writing? How would you characterize Hopkins’ managerial style?

13. What is the phrase Tom always says to himself in times of stress? What might it suggest about his character?

14. In what ways does Edward complicate Tom and Betsy’s lives?

15. Does Judge Bernstein seem well suited to be a judge? Why or why not?

16. What bombshell does Caesar deliver to Tom the first time they go to lunch together?

17. Who is Tony Bugala? What makes him the person he is?

18. What significance does “checking in at the transportation desk” have in the story? Why does Tom wish that he and Betsy would have to check in at the desk?

19. What two secrets is Tom holding and from whom is he hiding them?

20. What two issues bring Tom and Betsy before the planning board?

21. How does Hopkins react to Tom turning down the assistant position?

22. What is Betsy’s reaction when she hears about Maria and the boy in Italy?