Summary

In Chapter 1 of “Bonds”, the third person narrator introduces the character Benjamin Rask, a prominent financier who was born into a lineage of wealth and privilege. Rask’s parents, Solomon and Wilhelmina, were members of the New York elite. After living in near isolation during his childhood, Benjamin attended Yale and he excelled academically. After his father’s death, Rask took over the family’s business and shifted their assets from tobacco to stocks. “He built a limestone beaux arts mansion on Fifth Avenue at 62md Street” where he spent most of his time in isolation; he was disinterested in participating in the New York social scene (18). Out of necessity, after his business became too large to manage alone, Rask hired an assistant, Sheldon Lloyd, who delighted in luxury. The younger man was adept at hosting gatherings, on his employer’s behalf...