Room at the Top: A Chapter-by-Chapter Summary
What is the overall plot of "Room at the Top"?
"Room at the Top" follows Joe Lampton's ambitious climb from a modest Town Hall clerk to wealth through marriage to a wealthy heiress. This pursuit of riches, however, comes at the cost of genuine love.
Can you provide a chapter-by-chapter summary?
Chapter 1: Joe arrives in Warley, meets Mrs. Thompson, and is impressed by his new room. Chapter 2: Mr. Thompson is introduced, and the resemblance between Joe and the deceased Maurice Thompson is noted. Chapter 3: Joe explores Warley, begins his job at the Town Hall, and decides to become rich. Chapter 4: Joe meets the Storrs and Susan Brown, falling in love with Susan. Jack Wales, Susan's boyfriend, is introduced. Chapter 5: Joe enjoys his work, discusses his upcoming theatre role with Eva, and is aware of Alice Aisgill's attractiveness. Eva refuses to sleep with Joe. Chapter 6: A disastrous first reading of "Meadowes Farm"; Joe befriends Alice, who suggests he ask Susan out. Chapter 7: Joe interacts with Jack Wales, asks Susan to the ballet, flirts with June Oakes, learns of Mr. Aisgill's affair, and sees Jack's affluent home. Chapter 8: A date with Susan; Joe tries to impress her, and they discuss his deceased parents. Chapter 9: Alice and Joe become closer, culminating in a sexual encounter; they decide to be "loving friends." Chapter 10: Joe spends Christmas with his aunt, visits his destroyed childhood home, and seeks advice on Susan from his friend Charlie. Chapter 11: Joe and Alice spend time at Elspeth's house, where Joe is disgusted by Elspeth's behavior and wants to leave. Chapter 12: Joe talks about Susan with Reggie and discusses the war with Reggie and Teddy. Chapter 13: Joe and Alice quarrel about Alice's past. Chapter 14: Joe reflects on his jealousy and how it has changed him. Chapter 15: Joe receives an invitation to Sally Carstairs' party, meets Susan, and they kiss, agreeing to meet the next day. Chapter 16: Joe and Susan go to Benton; he has ulterior motives for his relationship with Susan. Chapter 17: Hoylake advises Joe against Susan, highlighting Mr. Brown's influence. Chapter 18: Joe feels inadequate compared to Jack and remembers Alice. Chapter 19: Joe and Susan go to the Folly; Susan is going to the Civic Ball with Jack. Chapter 20: Joe attends the Civic Ball and talks to Mr. Brown and Jack. Chapter 21: Joe calls Alice, confessing his love. Chapter 22: Joe dates both Susan and Alice simultaneously. Alice is unhappy, feeling too old for Joe. Chapter 23: Joe receives letters from Susan and Charles; Teddy applies for a better job, and Joe shows indifference. Chapter 24: Joe and Alice go on holiday, experiencing a deeper connection. Chapter 25: Alice leaves, Joe reaffirms his love. Chapter 26: Charles advises Joe against Alice and insists he try to win Susan back. Chapter 27: Joe and Susan reunite, but Joe must deal with Susan's anger. Chapter 28: Joe gives Ray a second chance and meets with Mr. Brown and Jack; Mr. Brown suggests marriage to Susan. Chapter 29: Joe ends things with Alice. Chapter 30: Joe learns of Alice's death, and leaves Warley, overcome by guilt and grief.
Who are the main characters?
The main characters are Joe Lampton, Susan Brown, Alice Aisgill, Jack Wales, and Mr. Brown.
What are the key themes in "Room at the Top"?
Key themes include ambition, social class, love versus wealth, betrayal, and the consequences of one's choices.
What is the significance of the title "Room at the Top"?
The title refers to Joe's relentless pursuit of upward mobility, both socially and economically, and the sacrifices he makes to achieve it.
CHAPTER SURVEY
Chapter 1 (p. 7-19):
- arrival of Joe Lampton in Warley, Birmingham
- Mrs Thompson meets him at the station
- on the way home they get to know each other (Joe likes her)
- Joe is impressed by his first own room
- Coffee and conversation with Mrs T.
Chapter 2 (p. 19-22):
- first appearance of Mr Thompson
- Joe and the Thompson recognize the similarity of Joe to Maurice T. (look, job- pilot in R.A.F → killed in an accident in Canada)
Chapter 3 (p. 23-30):
- investigation of Warley
- first time in the Town Hall (where he is going to work)
- Joe enjoys the atmosphere in Warley
- he comes to the decision to become rich (caused by a young wealthy couple which he watches, he is jealous of their wealth)
Chapter 4 (p. 30-42):
- tea with Bob and Eva Storr (theatre gossip)
- on the way to the Thespians Eva is sitting on Joe´s lap, he enjoys it
- Joe sees Susan brown for the first time and immediately falls in love with her
- meets her in the dressing room (little flirt)
- first appearance of Jack Wales, her “boyfriend”
Chapter 5 (p. 42-47):
- work in the Town Hall, Joe likes it
- chief = Hoylake
- Joe talks with Eva about Alice Aisgill his partner in the next theatre play
- Joe is satisfied, because Alice is described as an attractive woman
- Eva does not want to sleep with Joe, although they had kissed each other before
Chapter 6 (p. 47-55):
- first reading of “Meadowes Farm”, went badly
- beer with Alice, get to know each other
- are getting friends
- Alice suggests to ask Susan for a date
Chapter 7 (p. 56-70):
- Joe busies himself with Jack Wales
- invites Susan to the ballet
- flirt with June Oakes in the Town Hall
- Teddy tells Joe that Mr Aisgill has an affair
- second rehearsal in the theatre, went better
- first appearance of George Aisgill
- Joe sees Jack´s home (realizes Jack´s colossal advantages)
- sit-in at the house of the Aisgills
Chapter 8 (p. 70-77):
- date with Susan, she is late
- Joe pretends to be someone else (ballet fan,etc.) to impress her
- he takes her in an exclusive café, normally he does not go into such cafés, because he feels uneasy there
- he notices that “she is his beautiful princess (1st grade)”
- they talk about Joe´s dead parents
Chapter 9 (p. 77-84):
- third rehearsal, Alice and Joe are a team
- they have sex outdoors
- they decide to be “loving friends”
Chapter 10 (p. 84-97):
- Joe spents Christmas at his aunt in Dufton
- tells Charlie about Susan, Ch. Advises him to let her “wait”, to see whether she is interested or not
- Joe visits his parents´ house (destroyed during World War 2, parents killed), painful memories
Chapter 11 (p. 97-106):
- Joe and Alice are together in Elspeth house ( talk about what would be, if Alice was younger)
- Elspeth comes home
- Joe is kind of disgusted by Elspeth, assigns it to Alice
- wants to leave
Chapter 12 (p. 106-115):
- Joe talks with Reggie about Susan (who he did not call), R. says that Susan is talking about Joe steadily
- Teddy, Reggie and Joe talk about the war
- they touch the topic “Alice”, R. and T. seem to know what is going on between Joe and Alice
Chapter 13 (p. 115-120):
- Alice and Joe have a quarrel because she once let her body painted naked
- he thinks that this is not decent
Chapter 14 (p. 120-124):
- he goes through the streets, thinking about the quarrel and why he is so bruised
- realizes that it is his jealousy
- “… they are no better than prostitutes…” Charles once said
- he realizes that he has changed
Chapter 15 (p. 124-131):
- Joe gets an invitation to the birthday party of Sally Carstairs
- wonders if he has chances with Sally
- meets Susan at the party
- kiss each other in the garden and agrre to meet the next day
- they are both enamoured
Chapter 16 (p. 132-140):
- Joe and Susan go to Benton by bus
- they cuddle, but do not have sex
- suddenly he feels alone but then pushes away that feeling
- he has ulterior motives in being together with Susan (she is Grade A, she has a rich father and Joe awaits a good job, etc.)
- he keeps on pretending to be someone else
Chapter 17 (p. 140-146):
- Hoylake indirectly advises Joe not to go out with Susan anymore
- Mr Brown has a great deal of influence (“…if anyone got in his way he´d be utterly ruthless…”)
- Hoylake suggests to concentrate on the girls going to the Civic Ball
Chapter 18 (p. 146-152):
- Joe is of the opinion that he cannot make it in the “rich world”, because of his backround/ Susan is to good for him
- he feels cheap compared to Jack Wales
- remembers Alice
Chapter 19 (p. 152-159):
- Joe and Susan go to the Folly (on the way, he sees a young working-class couple à makes him feel complacent)
- Susan tells Joe, that she is going to the Civic Ball with Jack (her parents do not like that she is going out with Joe)
- they talk about marriage and having children
- what he says to Susan actually is meant for someone else
Chapter 20 (p.159-164):
- Civic Ball
- Mr Brown and Jack invite Joe to a drink, they chat
- he feels queasy
Chapter 21 (p. 164-169):
- Joe phones Alice “…I must see you… I´m sorry about it all…”
- actually he misses sex, he is frustrated of the teenage games he had been playing with Susan
- he tells Alice that he loves her, she feels the same
Chapter 22 (p. 169-174):
- Joe goes out with Susan and Alice at the same time, he is happy with Alice, but does not enjoy making love to Susan, she is just a toy
- he recaptures his youth with Susan
- Alice is unhappy because she thinks that she is too old for Joe
- on his way back he meets Eva Storr, she realizes that he has been with a woman (not Susan)
Chapter 23 (p. 174-177):
- Joe gets a letter from Susan, he chucks with him, because she found out
- he also gets a letter from Charles, he offers him to come to Cumley earlier
- Teddy applies for a better job, Joe tells him, that he does not care
Chapter 24 (p. 178-184):
- Joe and Alice take Charles´ offer and go on holiday together, they behave like a married couple
- he secretly wishes that she was younger
- Alice is jealous of a young girl
- he discovers what real love is like
- he experiences sex newly
Chapter 25 (p. 184-190):
- Alice has to leave, they really love each other (Joe:”…I´ll love you till the day I die…”)
- he meets Charles and Roy, they both have girlfriends, too
- he is not attracted by the young gitl he met before, because he loves Alice that much
Chapter 26 (p. 190-195):
- Charles and Joe talk about Alice, Ch. Does not want Joe to be with her (because of her age and the fact that she is married)
- Joe hast to promise Charles that he will write a letter to Susan and try to get her back
Chapter 27 (p. 195-199):
- Charles had helped to write the letter, Susan comes back to Joe
- Realizes that he cannot have Alice and Warley at the same time, but he does not want to leave Warley in no case
- Susan wants Joe to quit with Alice, but she is in hospital à Joe wants to finish the affair face to face
- Susan is angry because of this
Chapter 28 (p. 199-212):
- Joe gives Ray (who stole some money in the Town Hall) another chance
- Meeting with Mr Brown (meets Jack Wales there, too)
- Mr Brown tests if oe really loves Susan, he wants Joe to marry her because she is pregnant, he also offers Joe a job à only condition: Joe has to leave Alice immediately (he tells Joe, that Alice had an affair with Jack Wales)
Chapter 29 (p. 212-215):
- Joe finishes with Alice, Susan is not the true reason but Jack Wales
Chapter 30 (p. 215-235):
- Teddy tells Joe that Alice is dead (accident with her car)
- he takes a bus out of Warley
- he prowls and gets drunk
- at any time Eva and Bob find him totally drunken and take him home
- he thinks that he is guilty of Alice´s death
“ROOM AT THE TOP is the story of Joe Lampton´s malevolent rise from Town Hall clerk to industrial riches by marrying a millionaire´s daughter, sacrificing true love along the way to reach his goal.”
- Quote paper
- Svenja Rokitta (Author), 2003, Braine, John - Room at the Top -Chapter Summary, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/107740
