Short Fiction · Chapter
The Business Man explained
The narrator, Peter Proffit, presents himself as a methodical business man who despises geniuses and eccentricity.
What happens
The narrator, Peter Proffit, presents himself as a methodical business man who despises geniuses and eccentricity. He attributes his success to a childhood accident that gave him an 'organ of order.' He recounts his various occupations—from the Eye-Sore trade to Assault-and-Battery, Mud-Dabbling, Cur-Spattering, and Organ-Grinding—each pursued with systematic rigor, and illustrates his methods with entries from his daybook.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs when Legrand’s frantic, "dancing mad" behavior—attributed to a tar…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Ambition and Pride
The narrator's pride in his methodical approach and his disdain for geniuses highlight his ambition to succeed in business.
- Isolation and Alienation
The narrator's solitary pursuit of profit and his adversarial relationships (e.g., with Snap, Gruff, and his dog) suggest a sense of alienation.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator, Peter Proffit, a self-proclaimed methodical business man who recounts his various trades.
Key passages
“Method is the soul of business.”
Systematic procedure is the essence of commerce.
The narrator's core philosophy.
“I am not in any respect a genius, but a regular business man.”
I am no genius; I am an ordinary businessman.
The narrator distinguishes himself from geniuses.
“I never dabbled in flashy matters, but jogged on in the good old sober routine of the calling.”
I avoided speculative ventures and stuck to traditional, steady work.
Describes his conservative approach to business.
