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Appointment in Samarra | Introduction

Appointment in Samarra, John O’Hara’s debut novel, is situated in the small Pennsylvania town of Gibbsville, a fictional place whose occupants and mores mirror those of O’Hara’s hometown of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Appointment centers around the self-destruction of one of the town’s more popular gentlemen, Julian English. Told from the viewpoints of several different characters, Appointment in Samarra is also a novel of manners in that it depicts the way in which one must abide by certain rules in order to gain acceptance or maintain one’s social standing. While many seemingly scandalous foibles are often overlooked, a much smaller infraction could be perceived as completely unacceptable and topple the entire social order of Gibbsville’s elite, letting unspoken truths and feelings rise to the surface.

Details abound of Julian’s tenuous marriage, as well as his vulnerable financial situation; both are themes that were prominent in O’Hara’s own personal life as he wrote Appointment in Samarra on the heels of his own failed first marriage. Furthermore, O’Hara was often subject to financial pressures as he had a great deal of trouble holding a job. The novel’s main character, Julian, is also a rather heavy drinker, which closely mirrors O’Hara’s own patterns of drinking to the point of excess.

The most critically acclaimed of all his works, Appointment in Samarra was an instant success, earning O’Hara popularity with the general public and critical praise for his ear for dialogue and his attention to detail. Ironically, the things that earned Appointment in Samarra accolades upon its publication are the very things that wrought harsher criticism of his subsequent works, according to Fran Lebowitz in her introduction to the 1994 edition of the novel. She writes, “[Appointment in Samarra] is the [book] generally considered to be his best, particularly by his detractors who tend rather showily to concede it and who almost invariably employ its virtues as a weapon with which to smite the rest of his work.”

Appointment in Samarra Summary

John O’Hara’s novel Appointment in Samarra is the story of the rapid descent and demise of Julian English over the course of three days, due in large part to the complicated social order and manners that drive 1930 Gibbsville, Pennsylvania, where he lives. Julian, a well-known Protestant, was born into a privileged lifestyle. A member of Gibbsville’s elite society, he resides at the most coveted address in town: Lantenengo Street, where he and his wife, Caroline, lead supposedly charmed lives.

Christmas Eve
Julian’s undoing begins when he overindulges in alcohol at a Christmas Eve gathering at the Lantenengo Country Club. There, he throws a drink in the face of Harry Reilly, a nouveau riche Irish Catholic windbag (in Julian’s opinion). Convinced that his social stature is more secure than that of Reilly, Julian is shocked to find that his drunken act has serious repercussions that lead almost immediately to his being cast out of polite society.

Christmas Day
On Christmas Day, Caroline is incensed by Julian’s irresponsible gesture and urges him to apologize to Reilly, who, it is later revealed, was one of Caroline’s suitors prior to her marriage to Julian. Reilly had generously lent Julian a formidable amount of money the prior summer to help rescue Julian’s Cadillac dealership from financial ruin. In fact, Reilly has lent a number of Julian’s peers money, a fact that indebts them all the more to him rather than Julian. After Caroline and Julian share a chilly Christmas celebration with Julian’s parents, Dr. William Dilworth English and Elizabeth McHenry English, Julian attempts to call on Reilly to apologize. When Julian arrives, however, he is told that Harry won’t see him. Caroline’s response to Reilly’s refusal is one of doom; she fears that because Reilly is a powerful member of the community and a Catholic, he will use his influence to adversely affect the flow of business to Julian’s car dealership as well as threaten their place among Gibbsville’s elite. Julian, however, is more concerned with the fact that Caroline and Reilly have flirted from time to time and share a past.

That evening, they attend yet another Christmas celebration at the club. There, Julian is met with snide remarks from several of his peers, who clearly disapprove of and take secret delight in his assault on Reilly. While Julian appears to take much of it in stride, when he is left in quiet contemplation in the men’s locker room, it is... » Complete Appointment in Samarra Summary