# The Seventh Pullet explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Saki. ## What happens John Blenkinthrope, a man bored by the monotony of his life, is encouraged by his friend Gorworth to invent sensational stories to gain the interest of his fellow train travelers. He fabricates a tale about a snake killing six of his seven pullets, which brings him temporary fame. Encouraged by this success, he tells increasingly outlandish stories, including a dramatic assassination attempt in Paris. However, when his wife dies suddenly after completing a difficult patience card game, his reputation as a liar prevents the tragedy from being reported as anything more than a mundane death, leaving him isolated and back to his unremarkable existence. ## Themes in this chapter ### The Absurdity of Social Rituals The story satirizes the social ritual of sharing mundane or sensational stories during train commutes, highlighting how people crave drama to escape boredom. ### Hypocrisy and Moral Facade Blenkinthrope initially insists on sticking to fact but quickly adopts lies for social gain, revealing the hypocrisy of valuing reputation over truth. ### The Futility of Ambition Blenkinthrope's ambition for recognition through invented stories ultimately backfires, as his reputation as a liar prevents him from gaining sympathy or publicity for his wife's real death. ## Character check-ins ### John Blenkinthrope The protagonist who invents sensational stories to escape his dull life, culminating in his wife's death and his ruined reputation. ### Gorworth Blenkinthrope's friend who advises him to invent exciting events to capture others' interest, citing his own early prize in Scriptural knowledge. ### Duckby A fellow traveler whom Blenkinthrope mildly dislikes; he tells a story about rats killing his pigeons and later parodies Blenkinthrope's tales. ### Stevenham A fellow passenger who gains importance from his uncle's death while voting; he is deferred to on political questions. ### Smith-Paddon A daily fellow-traveler whose daughter's near-accident with a musical-comedy actress's car briefly overshadows Blenkinthrope's fame. ## Key lines > It's not the daily grind that I complain of, said Blenkinthrope resentfully; it's the dull grey sameness of my life outside of office hours. Blenkinthrope complains not about his work but about the monotonous lack of excitement in his personal life. _Opens the story by establishing Blenkinthrope's dissatisfaction with his unremarkable existence._ > Invent something, said Gorworth. Gorworth advises Blenkinthrope to fabricate interesting events to attract attention. _Key moment where Gorworth encourages deception for social gain._ > I had six pullets out of a pen of seven killed by a snake yesterday afternoon, said Blenkinthrope, in a voice which he hardly recognised as his own. Blenkinthrope tells his first lie about a snake killing most of his chickens, surprising himself with his own audacity. _Turning point where Blenkinthrope begins his descent into habitual lying._ > In the course of the next few days Blenkinthrope discovered how little the loss of one's self-respect affects one when one has gained the esteem of the world. Blenkinthrope realizes that sacrificing his integrity is worth the social approval he receives. _Highlights the moral compromise at the heart of the story._ > Something sensational and real had at last come into his life; no longer was it a grey, colourless record. Blenkinthrope sees his wife's death as an opportunity for the excitement he craved. _Reveals his selfish and distorted perspective even in tragedy._ > Not the right thing to be Munchausening in a time of sorrow agreed his friends among themselves. His friends dismiss his attempts to publicize his wife's death as just another of his tall tales. _The ironic consequence of his earlier lies: his real tragedy is not believed._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters/the-seventh-pullet - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters