Poetry · Chapter
To a Grabber explained
The narrator addresses Prentiss Maslin, accusing him of embodying greed itself.
What happens
The narrator addresses Prentiss Maslin, accusing him of embodying greed itself. Maslin is portrayed as the 'king of crimes,' a memorial of theft who has grown great from corruption. The poem critiques his insatiable greed, contrasting it with the hope of finding a man who loved himself unselfishly.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Corruption
Maslin is depicted as a 'memorial of theft' and the 'king of crimes,' embodying the corruption of those who hoard public wealth.
Deception and Self-Deception
The narrator hoped to see a man who loved himself unselfishly, but finds instead a figure of pure greed, suggesting self-deception about virtue.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator addresses Prentiss Maslin directly, expressing disillusionment and critique.
Key passages
“If, Prentiss Maslin, you would kindly leave A coin or two of what the State has hoarded We’d think it generous of you; for we’ve But just begun our fortunes to retrieve, Having lost all our treasury afforded To certain robbers, who, departing, left Us you as a memorial of the theft.”
If you would return even a small portion of the public funds you've taken, we would consider it generous, since we have only started to recover from the losses caused by other thieves who left you behind as a reminder of their crime.
The narrator sarcastically asks Maslin to give back some of the stolen state money, framing him as a living symbol of corruption.
“Let lesser souls be ravenous of pelf, He scorns the gains of greed who’s greed itself.”
Let lesser people be greedy for money; the one who is greed itself looks down on mere acquisitiveness.
Maslin's greed is so absolute that he disdains ordinary greed, as he embodies it completely.