Rules of Civility

Rules of Civility was an enchanting novel by Amor Towles. In some ways, this book reminded me of The Great Gatsby, with mesmerizing descriptions of life in New York in the late 1930’s and Katey Kontent’s adventures and inner thoughts. While it wasn’t the roaring twenties, it seemed as if the elite in the Depression era continued on with life as if it were, with glamorous parties, escapades to Europe, and gatherings at classy restaurants. Towles juxtaposes insights into the elite society of New York versus the more average and less well-off – painters and secretaries, versus the likes of bankers and Ivy-leaguers. The characters seem real, and made me want to be friends with Katey and her friends/lovers, Wallace and Tinker. The story made me think a lot about what it means to achieve the “American dream” of rags to riches. Katey and her friend Eve experience a rags to riches (albeit Eve much more quickly than Katey), while wealthy Tinker (spoiler alert) goes from riches to rags, and Wallace goes from riches, to war, to death. But who ends up spiritually richer in the end is definitely debatable. 

The book takes a look at the transcendentalist ideas of Thoreau through the lens of Walden. With Eve’s focus on being self-reliant, Katey working hard to the top of her industry, and Walden being the only book that Tinker values at the end, they all become independent in their own ways. Tinker realizes that perhaps he had not been so self-reliant in his climbing the social ladder, and voluntarily changes his life, stepping down from elite society. While he may seem less fortunate at the end, he is happy in a new way, and demonstrates how it really is the simple pleasures in life that should be valued. Even Katey notes a lesson from her father earlier in the book: “when a person loses the ability to take pleasure in the mundane, in the cigarette on the stoop, or the gingersnap in the bath, she has probably put herself in unnecessary danger” and that “this risk should not be treated lightly. One must be prepared to fight for one’s simple pleasures, and to defend them against elegance and erudition and all manner of glamorous enticements” (Ch 10). It seems as if Tinker unknowingly heeds this advice. While Katey is still able to take pleasure in the simple things, it is curious to me how she still aims for the elite life. However, I think she approaches the upper class life with balance and integrity – she works hard for her achievements and from what we can see at the end, does not seem to let money give her an inflated sense of status. The book is beautiful yet heartbreaking, as I couldn’t help but hope for a stereotypical happy ending between Katey and Tinker. Alas, I would highly recommend it to enjoy the luxurious descriptions and romance as well as explore the concept of the American dream and what it means to be successful.