Short Fiction · Chapter
A Little Talk About Mobs explained
A tall gentleman from Indiana and a New Yorker debate the nature of mobs in New York City, with the tall man arguing that local mobs are largely performative and harmless, contrasting them with a lynching he participated in for a theft from
What happens
A tall gentleman from Indiana and a New Yorker debate the nature of mobs in New York City, with the tall man arguing that local mobs are largely performative and harmless, contrasting them with a lynching he participated in for a theft from his brother.
Themes in this chapter
Humor and Irony
The tall man uses ironic humor to describe the theatrical nature of mobs, contrasting their fury with their actual harmlessness.
Crime and Consequence
Discussion of lynching as a form of extrajudicial punishment, with the tall man admitting to participating in one for a theft.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The tall gentleman in the frock coat and black slouch hat, who recounts anecdotes about mob behavior.
- The Captain
The New Yorker who engages in conversation with the tall man about mobs.
Key passages
“Divided you stand, united you fall. E pluribus nihil.”
When alone, New Yorkers are brave; in crowds, they become cowardly and ineffective.
The tall man inverts the classic motto to mock the behavior of mobs.
“I can imagine the tortured feelings of a prisoner in the hands of New York policemen when an infuriated mob demands that he be turned over to them for lynching.”
The New Yorker imagines a prisoner begging to be handed to the mob rather than stay with police.
The tall man counters with a story showing police easily dismiss the mob's demands.