The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Tom lies down in his hotel room in Atlantic City, thinking that he’s being unfair to Betsy in continuing to think of his time in Rome with Maria as “the happiest of his life” (174). With Maria, he had lived in the moment, whereas his relationship with Betsy was either too juvenile (before the war) or too preoccupied with the future (after the war). With Maria, he took long drives and had picnics in the Roman countryside. He had learned about Maria’s tragic past in the bloody chaos of the war. In the ruins of a bombed villa, they built a fire from the wreck of an expensive piano. Rain and military planes passed overhead. He declared his love for her as they returned to Rome, with Tom counting down the minutes until he needed to check in with his unit. In the following days, he played the mandolin for her as he had done for Betsy before the war. In his hotel room, he thinks about the difference between Betsy and Maria.

Tom returns from Atlantic City and arranges a meeting with Hopkins to discuss the speech. Hopkins has recently redrafted the speech and, to Tom’s horror, seems to want to “sell mental health the way they sell cigarettes” (182).