# The Cynic's Bequest explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A silent mute named Meerza Solyman Zingall of Ispahan inherits the vast fortune of the miser Muley Ben Maroon, who commits suicide after a life of greed and cynicism. The townspeople protest the bequest, but the mute gives no sign of his intentions. He eventually disappears and later publishes a scandalous biography of the miser, revealing his true nature.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The townspeople's feigned outrage and self-serving protests against the bequest highlight societal hypocrisy.

### Deception and Self-Deception

The mute's silence conceals his true intentions, and the miser's bequest is a cynical act of revenge.

## Character check-ins

### Meerza Solyman Zingall

The silent mute who inherits the miser's fortune and later publishes a biography.

### Muley Ben Maroon

The miser who commits suicide and leaves his fortune to the mute.

## Key lines

> So perished, not an hour too soon, The wicked Muley Ben Maroon.

The wicked Muley Ben Maroon died, and it was not a moment too soon.

_Describes the miser's suicide._

> The Life of Muley Ben Maroon, Of Astrabad—Rogue, Thief, Buffoon And Miser—Liver by the Sweat Of Better Men: A Lamponette Composed in Rhyme and Written All By Meerza Solyman Zingall!

The mute published a rhyming satire titled 'The Life of Muley Ben Maroon,' exposing him as a rogue, thief, and miser.

_Reveals the mute's published work._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/the-cynic-s-bequest
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters