Poetry · Chapter
To the Fool-Killer explained
The narrator welcomes the Fool-Killer as an old friend and discusses their shared mission of eliminating fools.
What happens
The narrator welcomes the Fool-Killer as an old friend and discusses their shared mission of eliminating fools. He lists several types of fools he wishes the Killer would dispatch: those who misuse titles, the overly familiar hand-shaker, and the person who burdens others with unwanted introductions. The narrator expresses a desire for the Fool-Killer to continue his work, ending with a toast to the gods of Gall.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Corruption
The narrator criticizes those who misuse titles and engage in insincere social rituals, highlighting societal hypocrisy.
Deception and Self-Deception
The poem targets individuals who deceive others through false titles and unwelcome introductions, as well as the self-deception of the fool who thinks his actions are hospitable.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator addresses the Fool-Killer directly, expressing a desire for the elimination of various fools.
- John Jackson
Mentioned as one of the men incorrectly given the title 'Colonel'.
Key passages
“What have you done since lately at this board We canvassed the deserts of all the horde, And chose what names would please the people best, Engraved on coffin-plates—what bounding breast Would give more satisfaction if at rest?”
What have you accomplished since we last met and discussed which fools deserved to die?
The narrator asks the Fool-Killer about his recent work in eliminating fools.
“I trust ere next we meet you’ll slay the chap Who calls old Tyler 'Judge' and Merry 'Cap'— Calls John P. Irish 'Colonel' and John P. , Whose surname Jack-son speaks his pedigree, By the same title—men of equal rank Though one is belly all, and one all shank, Showing their several service in the fray: One fought for food and one to get away.”
I hope you will kill the man who gives false titles to people like Tyler, Merry, and John P. Irish.
The narrator lists specific examples of people misusing titles, satirizing the practice.
“But chief of all the addle-witted crew Conceded by the Hangman’s League to you, The fool (his dam’s acquainted with a knave) Whose fluent pen, of his no-brain the slave, Strews notes of introduction o’er the land And calls it hospitality.”
The worst fool is the one who writes letters of introduction for everyone, calling it hospitality.
The narrator identifies the most egregious type of fool: the one who burdens others with unwanted introductions.