# XLIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief, mournful epitaph for a man named Bruner, called Elwood, who is scorned by critics and scholars and is imagined in Hell, unable to sell an office for four hundred dollars.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The verse implies a corrupt transaction (selling an office) and the scorn of critics and scholars, suggesting hypocrisy in moral judgment.

### Mortality and Regret

The mournful tone and mention of Hell evoke themes of death, regret, and the afterlife.

## Character check-ins

### El Capitan

Referenced as Bruner, called Elwood, the subject of the mournful epitaph.

## Key lines

> Mourn here for one Bruner, called Elwood. He doesn't⁠—he never did⁠—smell good To noses of critics and scholars. If now he'd an office to sell could He sell it? O, no⁠—where (in Hell) could He find a cool four hundred dollars?

Weep for Bruner, also known as Elwood. He was never well-regarded by critics and intellectuals. If he had a government position to sell, he couldn't find a buyer in Hell willing to pay four hundred dollars.

_The passage satirizes the character's reputation and implies a corrupt scheme that fails even in the afterlife._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/xliii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters