Short Fiction · Chapter
What of It? explained
A traveling salesman named Ben Lacey tells a story about a young playwright, Dexter Cosset, who is trying to think of a new title for his play after a producer renames it 'Carlotta's Corns.' Cosset, unable to think without a cigarette, seek
What happens
A traveling salesman named Ben Lacey tells a story about a young playwright, Dexter Cosset, who is trying to think of a new title for his play after a producer renames it 'Carlotta's Corns.' Cosset, unable to think without a cigarette, seeks refuge in the washroom of a Pullman car, where he encounters Lacey, a compulsive talker. Another passenger, Mr. Quolt, uses a technique of staring at Lacey's knee and responding with 'What of it?' to silence him, allowing Cosset to think. Cosset eventually comes up with the title 'What of It?' for his play.
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Media and Business
The chapter satirizes the business side of theater, where a producer arbitrarily changes a play's title, and also mocks the talkative salesman as a type of 'broadcaster'.
Alcohol and Escapism
The train's lack of a buffet car due to Prohibition highlights the era's alcohol restrictions, and the washroom serves as a retreat for smoking and thinking.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“What of it?”
So what?
The phrase is used repeatedly by Mr. Quolt to dismiss Lacey's rambling stories, and later becomes the title of Cosset's play.
“I've quit smoking myself. I quit on account of a bad stomach.”
I stopped smoking because of a stomach problem.
Quolt explains why he no longer needs to hide in the washroom, contrasting with Cosset's need to smoke to think.