Short Fiction · Chapter
The Shock explained
A pale, shaken man stumbles into a Houston drug store and is given several doses of whisky by the clerk to recover from a shock.
What happens
A pale, shaken man stumbles into a Houston drug store and is given several doses of whisky by the clerk to recover from a shock. He explains that he had playfully dangled a toy spider in front of a red-faced man, only to discover that the man is his landlord, to whom he owes back rent and who holds a mortgage on his cow. The realization of his mistake causes him great distress.
Themes in this chapter
Humor and Irony
The man's playful prank backfires comically when he realizes his victim is his own landlord, leading to a series of ironic and humorous exchanges with the clerk.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The pale-faced man who enters the drug store and recounts his shocking encounter with his landlord.
Key passages
“A man with a very pale face, wearing a woolen comforter and holding a slender stick in his hand, staggered into a Houston drug store yesterday and leaned against the counter, holding the other hand tightly against his breast.”
A pale, trembling man wearing a scarf and carrying a thin stick entered a Houston pharmacy, clutching his chest as he leaned on the counter.
Describes the protagonist's distressed entrance into the drug store.
“I have one of those toy spiders attached to a string at the end of this stick, and I saw that red-faced man sitting on a doorstep with his back to me, and I let the spider down over his head in front of his nose.”
I was carrying a toy spider on a string tied to my stick, and when I spotted the red-faced man sitting on a doorstep facing away, I lowered the spider in front of his face.
The man explains the prank that led to his shock.