# My 2 Big Inventions explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

This satirical chapter recounts the supposed inventions of 1899: the straw and the telephone. The straw, invented by Paul Whelton, was initially meant to help drowning bathers but found uses in weather forecasting and camel hunting. The telephone, with its single exchange and nickel-per-call system, is humorously described as a gamble, and the chapter ends with a joke about the dial telephone being rejected due to the motion picture industry's fear of learning the alphabet.

## Themes in this chapter

### Satire of Media and Business

The chapter mocks the commercialization of inventions and the absurdity of business practices, such as charging a nickel per call and the telephone company's downfall due to women talking.

## Key lines

> The idea came to me all of a heap.

The idea struck me suddenly.

_A humorous take on sudden inspiration._

> It made interesting gambling, dropping your nickel in the slot and then waiting to find out who would answer.

Using the telephone was like a gamble, since you never knew who would pick up.

_Highlights the unpredictability of early telephone service._

> The nickel a call system lasted until the repeal of the law preventing women from talking to one another.

The per-call pricing ended when women were finally allowed to talk to each other on the phone.

_A satirical jab at gender norms and the telephone's social impact._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/xiv-my-2-big-inventions
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters