Ten North Frederick Summary
John O'Hara

Ten North Frederick Summary

As is often the case in O'Hara's novels, a major theme in Ten North Frederick is human isolation. At Joe Chapin's funeral, which occurs at the beginning of the novel, one of his cousins remarks, "I could never figure Joe out," and as the novel continues the reader becomes aware that there is very little to "figure out" about Chapin: his life has consisted of surfaces; its reality has been identical with its facade. Even with his wife, Edith, Joe Chapin has a formal, almost businesslike relationship, and it is only when he falls in love with his daughter's friend Kate toward the end of the novel that he is willing to acknowledge his own vulnerability and understand the feelings and needs of another person. Chapin's isolation is created by his ambitions, and a corollary theme in the novel is the illusory and ultimately temporary nature of personal...

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