Short Fiction · Chapter
A Christmas Pi explained
The narrator, a writer who has never written a Christmas story, recounts his annual cycle of promising to write one and failing.
What happens
The narrator, a writer who has never written a Christmas story, recounts his annual cycle of promising to write one and failing. On Christmas Eve, he encounters a man about to throw a brick into a pawnbroker's window, whom he initially tries to stop. The man reveals he is actually a magazine writer seeking a real story by getting arrested, and the narrator jokingly identifies himself as a plumber named John Horner.
Themes in this chapter
Humor and Irony
The narrator's ironic self-deprecation about never writing a Christmas story and the twist that the brick-throwing man is also a writer seeking a story highlight the chapter's humorous tone.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator, a writer who has never written a Christmas story, encounters a man on Christmas Eve and tries to prevent him from throwing a brick.
Key passages
“I am not without claim to distinction. Although I still stick to suspenders—which, happily, reciprocate—I am negatively egregious.”
I have some unique qualities, like still wearing suspenders (which thankfully hold up my pants), but I am notable for what I haven't done.
The narrator humorously lists things he has never done, establishing his character.
“I would get copy from a cop, material from a mater, plot from a messenger boy.”
I planned to find story ideas from a police officer, material from a mother, and a plot from a messenger boy.
The narrator's playful wordplay shows his desperation for a Christmas story idea.
“My name is John Horner, and I'm a plumber.”
I am a plumber named John Horner.
The narrator's false identity is a humorous reference to the nursery rhyme 'Little Jack Horner,' ending the chapter on a whimsical note.