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Short Fiction · Chapter

What of It? explained

A traveling salesman named Ben Lacey tells a story about a young playwright, Dexter Cosset, who is trying to think of a new title for his play after a producer renames it 'Carlotta's Corns.' Cosset, unable to think without a cigarette, seek

What happens

A traveling salesman named Ben Lacey tells a story about a young playwright, Dexter Cosset, who is trying to think of a new title for his play after a producer renames it 'Carlotta's Corns.' Cosset, unable to think without a cigarette, seeks refuge in the washroom of a Pullman car, where he encounters Lacey, a compulsive talker. Another passenger, Mr. Quolt, uses a technique of staring at Lacey's knee and responding with 'What of it?' to silence him, allowing Cosset to think. Cosset eventually comes up with the title 'What of It?' for his play.

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak of the crowd’s self-deception, where their…

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Themes in this chapter

  • Satire of Media and Business

    The chapter satirizes the business side of theater, where a producer arbitrarily changes a play's title, and also mocks the talkative salesman as a type of 'broadcaster'.

  • Alcohol and Escapism

    The train's lack of a buffet car due to Prohibition highlights the era's alcohol restrictions, and the washroom serves as a retreat for smoking and thinking.

Characters to notice

  • Ben Lacey

    A traveling salesman who dominates the washroom with his stories, annoying other passengers.

  • Mr. Quolt

    A passenger who uses a peculiar method to silence Lacey, helping Cosset think.

  • Mr. Grant

    Mentioned as a friend of Lacey's in the watch game, but not present in the scene.

Key passages

  • “What of it?”

    So what?

    The phrase is used repeatedly by Mr. Quolt to dismiss Lacey's rambling stories, and later becomes the title of Cosset's play.

  • “I've quit smoking myself. I quit on account of a bad stomach.”

    I stopped smoking because of a stomach problem.

    Quolt explains why he no longer needs to hide in the washroom, contrasting with Cosset's need to smoke to think.

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