Lesson 4
My Financial Career
- Stephen Leacock
SUMMARY OF THE STORY
My Financial Career is a funny and humorous story that reflects the writer’s fear and embezzlement whenever he entered the bank. Everything related to the bank made him vexed and rattled. He became an irresponsible idiot. It occurred once, he got his salary increased to fifty dollars and he thought to deposit that amount in the bank that seemed to him a safe place. Having fear, he entered the bank and asked the accountant about the manager.
The accountant took him to the manager where the writer informed the manager that he wanted to talk to him in solitude. The manager got anxious and looked at the writer in some alarm and took him into a separate room. He locked the door and misunderstood that the writer had some awful secret to tell and he might belong to some detective agency Pinkerton. The writer informed him that he was not from any secret agency and was there to just open an account.
The manager thought him to be a big businessman and wanted to deposit a big amount in the bank. But he got disappointed on hearing that the writer wanted to deposit fifty-six dollars only in the bank. The manager called the account in a loud voice and instructed him to open an account for the writer and said the writer goodbye. The writer found an open door in that room and entered the door considering him the exit but it was safe.
The writer was ordered to go out and the accountant brought him out. The accountant deposited fifty-six dollars in his account and returned him the rest amount. Suddenly the writer thought that he needed six dollars for his routine use. He signed on the cheque and headed it to the accountant but he wrote fifty-six dollars instead of six. The accountant was surprised to see all that and inquired him if he wanted to withdraw the whole deposited amount.
The writer felt his fault but he did not want to be laughed at. He felt that he was insulted in that bank. He had no intention to deposit the amount in the bank. The accountant returned him fifty-six dollars. The writer came out of the bank and heard a burst of laughter behind him. Since then, the writer did not go to the bank and started to put the cash in his trousers’ pocket and saving amount in his socks
GENERAL QUESTION
Narrate the story in your own words.
Introduction:
My Financial Career is one of Leacock’s earliest pieces, appearing in his first published humorous book, Literary Lapses. This, along with The Awful fate of Melpomemus Jones was converted into an animated short story by Gerald Potterton for the National Film Board of Canada. The essay deals with one of Leacock’s favourite themes: the effect of economics on the life of man. Leacock was an economist and had both a deep understanding and knowledge of the common man’s distrust of the field as well as his confusion over what it actually meant and did.
Briefing the story:
The narrator’s salary has been increased by fifty dollars each month and he wants to deposit the extra money in the bank. When he enters the bank, the sight of the clerks and the wickets make him nervous. He does not understand what he is talking or doing. He asks a clerk if he can see the manager “alone.” Then at the sight of the manager, he again asks if he can see him “alone.” The word “alone” alarms the manager who thinks that the narrator is a detective. The narrator says that he is not a detective, but he has intended to keep all his money in the bank. Then the manager thinks that the narrator is a millionaire like Rothchild or Gould. The narrator reveals that he has planned to deposit fifty dollars a month in the bank.
The manager becomes very impatient and directs him to a clerk namely, Montgomery. In his tension, the narrator enters into an iron safe, mistaking it for the door. The manager orders him to come out. Thus, the narrator makes a fool of himself. With difficulty, he deposits fifty-six dollars in the bank. Then he wants to withdraw six dollars for his present use. He takes the cheque and writes “fifty six” instead of “six.” The clerk is surprised and asks if he really wants to withdraw the money he has deposited. To hide his foolish mistake, the narrator pretends that somebody has insulted him in the bank and he has decided to take away all his money back. He gets back the money and rushes out of the bank. Everyone in the bank laughs at him.
The Theme of Bank:
He addresses this theme in his essay. Banks are living embodiment of the obscure world of finance and economics. For the ordinary individual, it is a mysterious place. So far as he is concerned, he deposits his money here in the hope that it will be safe and accessible. What he does not understand is how the bank then transforms into financial behemoth capable of determining the economic fate of nations. Again, the banks with their rules and regulations are intimidating to the common man.
In fact, the speaker begins by admitting this in the essay. The speaker recounts his experience when he had gone to open an account in the bank. He says that it reduced him to a state of complete paralysis. He had no idea of what he was doing and returned after opening and closing the same account in the space of a few minutes.
The Fifty Dollars:
The speaker considered the fifty dollars that he had to be a princely sum. However, it was a mere trifle for the bank clerks and managers. They treated him dismissively. The speaker here points to the fact that there is no difference between the bank and its employees. This is an interesting point that he is makes. The clerks and the managers are mere employees who earn a salary. In their individual capacity, it would not be wrong to say that they too would consider the fifty dollars to be a substantial sum.
But within the precincts of the bank, they take on the economic aura of the bank. They, in fact, are the bank. For the institution the amount is minuscule and the same applies to the employees as well.
A Substantial Client:
For this reason, they treat the speaker insultingly. When the speaker enters, the bank the manager approaches him anticipating that he will prove to be a substantial client. He takes the speaker to a vault and assures him of absolute confidentiality in all transactions. He misinterprets the speaker’s lack of confidence as a desire for confidentiality and distrust.
The manager thinks that the speaker is a private detective desirous of secrecy which he assures. When he comes to know that the speaker has come to open an account to deposit only fifty dollars, he passes the speaker onto the clerks. They too treat the speaker as a non-entity.
Narrator is Disoriented
The narrator is disoriented by the manager’s change in tone. The clerks also show imperious attitude. When he reaches the clerk’s window, he thrusts all the money into clerk’s hand. He tells him to open an account. When he is informed that his money has been deposited, he wants to withdraw five dollars.
By this time, he is completely flustered. He thinks that people in the bank mistake him for a millionaire. He is intimidated. Therefore, he withdraws the entire amount. He closes the account and flees the bank. He hears the jeering laughter of the bank clerks following him even as he leaves the bank.
Conclusion:
Thus, Stephen Leacock humorously presents a person’s first experience in the bank. He amuses the readers by exposing the narrator’s tension and stupid actions inside the bank. There is much fun and laughter when the narrator makes a clown of himself through his words and behaviour. Finally, he withdraws the amount he has deposited, and leaves the bank in a hurry, as the bank echoes the roaring laughter of the clerks.
COMPREHENSION
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.
1. What makes the narrator feel nervous in the bank?
When the narrator visits the bank, the clerks, the wickets and the sight of the
money make the narrator feel nervous. He becomes nervous seeing the tall accountant in the bank.
2. What prevents the narrator from telling the manager his purpose clearly?
The nervousness of the narrator prevents him from telling the manager his purpose clearly.
3. Why does the narrator deposit 56 dollars and then want to withdraw six dollars?
The narrator deposits 56 dollars in the bank because his salary had been raised to fifty dollars a month. He feels that the bank is the only safe place to keep his money. He wanted to withdraw six dollars for his daily use.
4. How does the narrator end up withdrawing all his money?
The narrator makes a mistake of writing “fifty-six” instead of “six” in the check which makes him end up withdrawing all his money. He also loses the trust in the bank because of the rude behaviour of the bank officials.
5. Who benefitted from the transaction - the bank or the customer?
Neither the bank benefitted from the transaction nor did the customer because the customer withdraws all his money and decides to close his newly opened account.
Additional Questions:
1. Why did the bank manager think that the narrator was detective?
The manager thought that the narrator is a detective because the narrator asked the bank manager if he could meet him secretly in the room.
2. What did the bank manager think when the narrator said he intended to keep all his money in the bank?
When the narrator said that he intended to keep all his money in the bank, the manager concluded that the narrator is a son of Baron Rothschild or a young Gould.
3. How much money did the narrator actually want to withdraw?
The narrator actually wanted to withdraw only six dollars but by mistake he ends up withdrawing fifty-six dollars.
4. Why did manager take the narrator to the private room?
The manager takes the narrator to the private room because the narrator asks him if he can meet him privately. Listening to this, the manager thinks that that the narrator is a detective.
5. How much money did the narrator propose the deposit every month?
The narrator proposes to deposit 56 dollars for this month and 50 dollars every month.
