# Authority and Rebellion in Psmith in the City

> Theme guide for Psmith in the City by P. G. Wodehouse.

Psmith and Mike subtly undermine authority figures like Mr. Bickersdyke and Mr. Rossiter through wit, manipulation, and calculated disobedience, challenging the rigid hierarchy of the bank.

## Where it surfaces

- [First Steps in a Business Career](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/iv-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/vi-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/ix-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/xi-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/xii-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/xxii-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/xxiii-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/xxiv-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/chapters/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.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/themes/authority_and_rebellion
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/psmith_in_the_city_se/themes