Short Fiction · Chapter
Gretchen's Forty Winks explained
Roger Halsey, an advertising man, is determined to secure major accounts over a critical six-week period.
What happens
Roger Halsey, an advertising man, is determined to secure major accounts over a critical six-week period. He asks his wife Gretchen to support him by staying home and avoiding social distractions. As he works obsessively, Gretchen grows restless and begins spending time with George Tompkins. On the eve of a crucial business meeting, tensions between them come to a head.
Themes in this chapter
Ambition and Disillusionment
Roger's relentless drive for success strains his marriage and leads to personal exhaustion.
Love and Romantic Illusion
The Halseys' love is tested by the demands of ambition and the intrusion of a rival.
Characters to notice
- Roger Halsey
The husband, an advertising man working intensely to secure major accounts.
- Gretchen Halsey
Roger's wife, a Southern girl who grows restless with his work obsession.
- George Tompkins
A friend who takes Gretchen horseback riding and to the theatre, causing Roger's jealousy.
Key passages
“The sidewalks were scratched with brittle leaves, and the bad little boy next door froze his tongue to the iron mailbox.”
Autumn had arrived, signaled by fallen leaves and a child's frozen tongue on a mailbox.
Opening imagery establishes the season and a sense of coldness.
“I've got a chance now to get some of the biggest accounts in the country.”
Roger believes he can win major business accounts if he works hard for six more weeks.
Roger outlines his ambitious plan to Gretchen.
“December tumbled like a dead leaf from the calendar.”
The month of December passed quickly and uneventfully.
Metaphor for the passage of time during Roger's intense work period.