Biological decline (bad teeth, illness) mirrors financial ruin.

The family’s pride; she endures two disastrous marriages to save the family name. Fourth Generation: Hanno Role: The final Buddenbrook. Character: Frail, musical, and deeply sensitive.

The story is a fictionalized version of Mann's own family history. The role of Schopenhauer's philosophy in Thomas’s death? A comparison to other "family saga" novels?