Short Fiction · Chapter
Speaking of Big Winds explained
A traveler with a bronzed face and distinguished air regales a group of men at the Lamlor with tales of South American wind storms and the intelligence of wild cattle.
What happens
A traveler with a bronzed face and distinguished air regales a group of men at the Lamlor with tales of South American wind storms and the intelligence of wild cattle. A Topeka flour drummer counters with a tall tale about a Kansas real estate agent named Bob Long who is swept up by a cyclone mid-sentence and returns years later to finish his pitch, illustrating the exaggerated nature of cyclone stories.
Themes in this chapter
Humor and Irony
The chapter uses a tall tale format to humorously exaggerate the power of Kansas cyclones, with Bob Long's interrupted sentence and eventual return providing ironic comedy.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
The traveler's claim about wild cattle navigating by their udders is a playful deception, and the Kansas man's story about Bob Long blurs the line between truth and exaggeration.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The man with the bronzed face and distinguished air who tells tales of South American wind storms.
- Bob Hart
Bob Long, a real estate hustler from Kansas who is swept up by a cyclone mid-sentence and returns years later to finish his pitch.
Key passages
“The man with the bronzed face and distinguished air was a great traveler, and had just returned from a tour around the world.”
A sunburned, well-dressed man who had recently completed a global journey.
Introduces the primary storyteller of the chapter.
“Before Bob could say 'acre,' a cyclone came along, and the edge of it took Bob up straight into the air.”
A cyclone snatched Bob Long into the sky before he could finish his sales pitch.
Key moment in the tall tale about Bob Long.
“It was Bob Long. His beard was a little grayer and longer, but he was all business still.”
Bob Long returned, older and with a longer beard, but still focused on selling land.
Climax of the story, highlighting Bob's unchanged determination.