The History of Mr. Polly · Chapter
III: Cribs explained
After Parsons leaves Port Burdock, Mr.
What happens
After Parsons leaves Port Burdock, Mr. Polly finds the town dreary and work a bore. He quits his job, stays with a married cousin, and searches for work in London. He moves from situation to situation, never quite fitting in, and begins to suffer from indigestion and a sense of failure. He finds a temporary congeniality in Canterbury, but is dismissed after a sailing mishap leads to a misunderstood remark. He returns to the London job market, increasingly despondent and trapped.
Themes in this chapter
Discontent and Escape
Mr. Polly's growing dissatisfaction with his work and life, his restless job-hopping, and his longing for the lost camaraderie with Parsons.
Education and Social Failure
Mr. Polly's inability to succeed in the competitive retail trade, his lack of a clear vocation, and his sense of being a failure.
Health and Indigestion
The onset of Mr. Polly's indigestion, which contributes to his lassitude, ill-temper, and sleepless nights.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Polly
The protagonist, now adrift after Parsons' departure, struggling with depression, job hunting, and the onset of indigestion.
- Parsons
Former friend who has left Port Burdock for London; his letters reveal new socialist interests that alienate Mr. Polly.
- Platt
A tiresome companion left behind in Port Burdock, obsessed with romantic intrigues and 'society women.'
- Mr. Garvace
Mr. Polly's employer at Port Burdock, whose impatience contributes to Mr. Polly's decision to leave.
- Father of Mr. Polly
Mr. Polly's widowed father, now living with a married cousin, aged and irritable due to mysterious internal discomfort.
Key passages
“Port Burdock was never the same place for Mr. Polly after Parsons had left it.”
After Parsons left, Port Burdock lost all its appeal for Mr. Polly.
Sets the tone for the chapter: loss of companionship leads to dreariness.
“He went from situation to situation, he invented a great wealth of nicknames, he conceived enmities and made friends—but none so richly satisfying as Parsons.”
He moved from job to job, creating many nicknames and making enemies and friends, but never found a friend as good as Parsons.
Highlights Mr. Polly's transient, unsatisfying work life and his longing for genuine connection.
“He began to have moods of discomfort and lassitude and ill-temper due to the beginnings of indigestion.”
He started experiencing discomfort, tiredness, and irritability as indigestion set in.
Marks the physical manifestation of his growing discontent.