When reading and studying The Rise of Silas Lapham recognition of the existence of a plot and subplot is necessary. Knowledge of how they relate to each other is also important. In the William Dean Howells novel a business story dominates a secondary love triangle. Silas Lapham earns a fortune in the paint business through opportunism greed and driving ambition. He wants his daughter to marry into the aristocratic Corey family to gain the social prominence the backwoods Laphams have never attained. Silas' conduct in managing his business and Irene's love affair are based on the same materialistic set of values which draw the two stories together.