Short Fiction · Chapter
Wasted Sympathy explained
Booth, a songwriter, is awakened by a call from Mr.
What happens
Booth, a songwriter, is awakened by a call from Mr. Rose demanding a new second-act curtain. He struggles to create a song, but discovers it is a hymn he heard at a rehearsal. Frustrated, he observes a woman across the courtyard, assuming she is alone, but later sees a man with her, realizing she is married. He feels resentful and wastes his sympathy, ultimately failing to create the curtain and ending up in a drunken state.
Themes in this chapter
Celebrity and Artistic Integrity
Booth's struggle to create an original song while inadvertently borrowing a hymn highlights the tension between commercial demands and artistic originality.
Alcohol and Escapism
Booth's drinking, especially after realizing the woman is married, serves as an escape from his creative frustration and emotional disappointment.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Booth
The protagonist, a songwriter struggling to create a second-act curtain, feeling resentful and wasting sympathy on a woman he observes.
- Mr. Rose
The producer who calls Booth, demanding a new curtain and rejecting the song idea.
- Walter Donaldson
Referred to as Mr. Youmans, a composer Booth calls to verify the tune, identifying it as a hymn from a rehearsal.
Key passages
“A girl that’s married may not be having a good time, but at least she isn’t alone.”
A married woman might not be happy, but she has companionship.
Booth's rationalization about the woman's situation, reflecting his own loneliness.
“It will be all the better,” he thought, “if I can get some silly, incongruous words to such a pretty melody as this.”
He thought the song would be improved by adding humorous, mismatched lyrics to the beautiful tune.
Booth's creative process, seeking to juxtapose the melody with comedic words.