Short Fiction · Chapter
A Cosmopolite in a Café explained
The narrator sits in a crowded café and meets E.
What happens
The narrator sits in a crowded café and meets E. Rushmore Coglan, a man who claims to be a true cosmopolite—a citizen of the world with no attachment to any specific place. Coglan derides patriotism and local pride, arguing for global brotherhood. However, when a stranger insults Coglan's hometown of Mattawamkeag, Maine, he starts a violent fight, revealing that his cosmopolitanism is a facade.
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 Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it captures the precise moment the protagonist’s humor shifts f…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Coglan's cosmopolitan persona is revealed as a pretense when he violently defends his hometown.
- Humor and Irony
The irony of a self-proclaimed world citizen fighting over local pride provides a humorous twist.
- Nostalgia and the Passage of Time
The narrator's reflections on the café scene and the changing nature of urban life evoke a sense of nostalgia.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator observes and reflects on the café scene and engages in conversation with the cosmopolite.
- E. Rushmore Coglan
Claims to be a cosmopolitan citizen of the world, but ultimately shows fierce loyalty to his hometown.
- Dark-haired young man
A patron who cheers for 'Dixie' and later expresses a cryptic desire to be a periwinkle.
Key passages
“I invoke your consideration of the scene—the marble-topped tables, the range of leather-upholstered wall seats, the gay company, the ladies dressed in demi-state toilets, speaking in an exquisite visible chorus of taste, economy, opulence or art; the sedulous and largess-loving garçons, the music wisely catering to all with its raids upon the composers; the mélange of talk and laughter—and, if you will, the Würzburger in the tall glass cones that bend to your lips as a ripe cherry sways on its branch to the beak of a robber jay.”
The narrator describes the lively café atmosphere: marble tables, leather seats, elegantly dressed women, attentive waiters, music, chatter, and tall glasses of Würzburger beer.
Sets the scene and establishes the cosmopolitan setting.
“He took the great, round world in his hand, so to speak, familiarly, contemptuously, and it seemed no larger than the seed of a Maraschino cherry in a table d’hôte grape fruit.”
Coglan spoke of the entire world as if it were tiny and insignificant, like a cherry seed in a grapefruit.
Highlights Coglan's grandiose and dismissive attitude toward geography.
“Originally from Mattawamkeag, Maine, he said, and he wouldn't stand for no knockin' the place.”
The waiter reveals that Coglan is actually from Mattawamkeag, Maine, and started a fight when someone insulted it.
The ironic revelation that undermines Coglan's cosmopolitan claims.
