Can Such Things Be? · Chapter
A Cold Greeting explained
Benson Foley recounts a strange incident involving James H.
What happens
Benson Foley recounts a strange incident involving James H. Conway, who believed he had received a cold greeting from their mutual friend Lawrence Barting in San Francisco, only to later learn that Barting had died days earlier in Nashville.
Themes in this chapter
Death and the Supernatural
The story revolves around a pact to communicate after death, and the ambiguous encounter that may or may not be a supernatural sign.
Identity and Self
Conway mistakes a stranger for Barting, highlighting the uncertainty of identity and perception.
The Uncanny and the Grotesque
The cold greeting and the revelation of Barting's death create an unsettling, uncanny atmosphere.
Characters to notice
- Lawrence Barting
Deceased friend who had an agreement with Conway to communicate from beyond the grave; his photograph shows him without a mustache, matching the man Conway saw.
- Benson Foley
Narrator and friend of both Barting and Conway; receives the news of Barting's death and shows Conway the photograph.
- James H. Conway
Visitor from Franklin, Tennessee; experiences a cold greeting from a man he mistakes for Barting, later learns of Barting's death.
Key passages
“I do not think, Mr. Foley, that I have any longer a claim to your friendship, since Mr. Barting appears to have withdrawn his own from me—for what reason, I protest I do not know.”
Conway tells Foley he feels unworthy of Foley's friendship because Barting seems to have rejected him, though he doesn't understand why.
Conway's explanation for his cold behavior, based on his mistaken belief that Barting snubbed him.
“It seems incredible. I suppose I must have mistaken another man for Barting, and that man’s cold greeting was merely a stranger’s civil acknowledgment of my own.”
Conway reflects on the impossibility of the situation, concluding he likely confused a stranger with Barting.
Conway's rationalization after learning of Barting's death.