# The Other Man explained — Psmith in the City

> Chapter companion for Psmith in the City by P. G. Wodehouse.

## What happens

Mike Jackson struggles with the monotony of his new job at the New Asiatic Bank, feeling homesick and disillusioned. He is befriended by Mr. Waller, the cashier, who takes him to lunch and offers some insight into the bank's manager, Mr. Bickersdyke. Later, Psmith unexpectedly arrives at the bank, announcing he has joined the staff and proceeds to charm and disorient Mr. Rossiter, the head of the postage department, with his characteristic wit and grandiloquence.

## Themes in this chapter

### Work vs. Idleness

Psmith's ironic declaration of becoming 'Psmith, the Worker' contrasts with Mike's genuine struggle with the drudgery of office life, highlighting the tension between enforced labor and personal fulfillment.

### Class and Social Mobility

Mr. Waller's comments on Bickersdyke's rise from fellow clerk to manager, and his disdain for those who climbed less high, illustrate the competitive social dynamics within the bank.

### Humor and Absurdity

Psmith's elaborate, mock-serious introduction to Mr. Rossiter, complete with invented family history and grandiose promises of work, injects absurdist comedy into the otherwise dreary office setting.

## Character check-ins

### Mike Jackson

Feeling gloomy and homesick, Mike finds the bank work monotonous and yearns for his former outdoor life. He is grateful for Mr. Waller's kindness.

### Mr. Waller

The cashier befriends Mike, taking him to lunch and sharing his thoughts on Mr. Bickersdyke's character and career.

### Psmith

Arrives unexpectedly at the bank, announcing he has joined the staff. He humorously introduces himself to Mr. Rossiter and declares his intention to become a diligent worker.

### Rossiter

The head of the postage department, who is flustered by Psmith's arrival and his elaborate, nonsensical explanations.

### Mr. Bickersdyke

Discussed by Mr. Waller as a very able but unpopular manager, with a history of climbing the career ladder and a strained relationship with the cashier.

## Key lines

> Commerce, said Psmith, as he drew off his lavender gloves, has claimed me for her own. Comrade of old, I, too, have joined this blighted institution.

Psmith announces to Mike that he has also started working at the bank, framing it as a surrender to the demands of business.

_Psmith's characteristic blend of formality and irony as he reveals his new job._

> I shall toil with all the accumulated energy of one who, up till now, has only known what work is like from hearsay.

Psmith promises to work harder than anyone, despite having no prior experience of actual labor.

_Psmith's mock-earnest declaration of his work ethic, underscoring the theme of work vs. idleness._

> He was not old enough to know what a narcotic is Habit, and that one can become attached to and interested in the most unpromising jobs.

Mike, due to his youth, does not yet understand that routine can make even dull work bearable or engaging.

_Narrative reflection on Mike's despair and the psychological comfort of habit._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/v-the-other-man
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters