Authority and Rebellion

Where it surfaces

• First Steps in a Business Career

  Mike's awkward encounter with Mr. Bickersdyke and Bannister's casual defiance of Rossiter's fussiness highlight tensions between employees and management.

• Psmith Explains

  Psmith's plan to haunt Bickersdyke at the club is a subtle rebellion against the authority figure who tried to suppress him.

• The Haunting of Mr. Bickersdyke

  Psmith subtly rebels against Mr. Bickersdyke's authority by haunting him at the club, using social norms to unsettle the bank manager.

• X: Mr. Bickersdyke Addresses His Constituents

  Mr. Bickersdyke's authority as bank manager is undermined by his inability to dismiss Psmith, and later Psmith rebels by heckling him at the political meeting.

• Misunderstood

  Psmith deliberately disrupts Mr. Bickersdyke's speech, challenging the authority of the bank manager and political figure, leading to a physical altercation.

• In a Nutshell

  Psmith challenges Bickersdyke's authority by arguing that his actions outside work hours are beyond managerial control, and uses the threat of resignation to undermine Bickersdyke's power.

• XXI: Psmith Makes Inquiries

  Mike's confession and dismissal represent a direct clash with Bickersdyke's authority, while Psmith plans to challenge that authority at the club.

• And Takes Steps

  Psmith's plan to confront Mr. Bickersdyke in the Turkish Baths represents a subtle rebellion against managerial authority.

• Mr. Bickersdyke Makes a Concession

  Psmith rebels against Bickersdyke's authority by blackmailing him with his radical past, subverting the power dynamic.

• The Spirit of Unrest

  Psmith's covert manipulation of Bickersdyke and Mike's open conflict with Gregory exemplify subtle and overt challenges to authority.

• XXVIII: Psmith Arranges His Future

  Psmith sneaks out of the bank and plans to resign, rebelling against the authority of Mr. Gregory and Mr. Bickersdyke.

• XXX: The Last Sad Farewells

  Psmith and Mike defy Bickersdyke's authority by resigning on their own terms, turning a potential dismissal into a victory.