# The Business Man explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Edgar Allan Poe.

## What happens

The narrator, Peter Proffit, presents himself as a methodical business man who despises geniuses and eccentricity. He attributes his success to a childhood accident that gave him an 'organ of order.' He recounts his various occupations—from the Eye-Sore trade to Assault-and-Battery, Mud-Dabbling, Cur-Spattering, and Organ-Grinding—each pursued with systematic rigor, and illustrates his methods with entries from his daybook.

## Themes in this chapter

### Ambition and Pride

The narrator's pride in his methodical approach and his disdain for geniuses highlight his ambition to succeed in business.

### Isolation and Alienation

The narrator's solitary pursuit of profit and his adversarial relationships (e.g., with Snap, Gruff, and his dog) suggest a sense of alienation.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator, Peter Proffit, a self-proclaimed methodical business man who recounts his various trades.

## Key lines

> Method is the soul of business.

Systematic procedure is the essence of commerce.

_The narrator's core philosophy._

> I am not in any respect a genius, but a regular business man.

I am no genius; I am an ordinary businessman.

_The narrator distinguishes himself from geniuses._

> I never dabbled in flashy matters, but jogged on in the good old sober routine of the calling.

I avoided speculative ventures and stuck to traditional, steady work.

_Describes his conservative approach to business._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters/the-business-man
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters