Poetry · Chapter
F. A. Cotharin explained
A brief, humorous poem about an insurance salesman who has sold a policy to the narrator, who jokingly vows to die before the next premium is due.
What happens
A brief, humorous poem about an insurance salesman who has sold a policy to the narrator, who jokingly vows to die before the next premium is due.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because the speaker confronts the painful realization that his child’s lov…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Humor and Satire
The poem uses dark humor and a punchline to satirize insurance sales and the narrator's ironic revenge.
- Work and Profession
Highlights the insurance salesman's profession and the transactional relationship with a customer.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The speaker who has been sold insurance by F. A. Cotharin and plans to get even by dying before the premium is due.
Key passages
“Has he sold insurance to you? Well, brother, he landed me, too. But I’ve figured how I Can get even: I’ll die Before there’s a premium due.”
The narrator confirms that F. A. Cotharin sold him insurance, and he plans to outsmart the salesman by dying before the next payment is required.
The narrator's witty retaliation against the insurance salesman.
