# “Ace” Shaw explained — Spoon River Anthology

> Chapter companion for Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.

## What happens

Ace Shaw equates all professions—gambling, real estate, law, banking—to games of chance, asserting that diligence in business elevates one to stand before kings.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

Shaw's cynical view that all business and professions are merely forms of gambling reflects a corrupt moral equivalence.

### Illusion vs. Reality

Shaw challenges the illusion of respectable professions by reducing them to chance, blurring the line between vice and virtue.

## Key lines

> I never saw any difference Between playing cards for money And selling real estate, Practicing law, banking, or anything else. For everything is chance.

Shaw claims that all occupations—gambling, real estate, law, banking—are fundamentally the same because they all rely on luck.

_This reveals Shaw's deterministic worldview, equating professional success with random chance._

> Nevertheless Seest thou a man diligent in business? He shall stand before Kings!

Despite his cynicism, Shaw acknowledges that hard work in business can lead to high social standing.

_The biblical allusion (Proverbs 22:29) adds ironic weight to Shaw's pragmatic advice._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters/ace-shaw
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters