# Ball-a-Hole explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

In this chapter, the narrator and Jake caddy for two golfers, Mr. Conklin and Mr. Perkins, who are playing a match. The caddies engage in gamesmanship, manipulating the golfers' perceptions and scores. The golfers, both poor players, cheat and argue over strokes, while the caddies profit from their tips. The chapter highlights the absurdity of the golfers' incompetence and the caddies' clever exploitation of the situation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Aspiration

The caddies, from a lower class, cleverly exploit the wealthy golfers, highlighting the economic disparity and the caddies' desire to earn money.

### Satire of Media and Business

The golfers' obsession with their scores and their willingness to cheat mirrors the corrupt practices in business and media, satirizing the pursuit of success at any cost.

## Character check-ins

### Jake

Fellow caddy who partners with the narrator, sharing in the profits and conspiring to cheat the golfers.

### Mr. Conklin

One of the golfers, who cheats and argues about strokes, eventually paying the narrator generously.

### Mr. Perkins

The other golfer, who is suspicious of the caddies' tricks and argues about the score.

## Key lines

> “Twenty cents!” said Mr. Conklin. “Why, it’s secondhand. I couldn’t play with that one.”

Mr. Conklin complains about the price of the used ball, showing his stinginess.

_Highlights the golfers' cheapness despite their wealth._

> “I’ve played too hard,” he said, kind of half smiling. “Conklin, what do you say if we call it square?”

Mr. Perkins, overwhelmed by the pressure, suggests they end the game in a tie.

_Shows the golfers' inability to handle competition and their willingness to avoid a decisive outcome._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/ball-a-hole
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters