A Man Who Hates A Louse Analysis

The story focuses on the story of a man who hates a louse. This louse found its way into a bonnet of a lady who is special to the man. He then starts to talk down to the louse by saying it is dirty, ugly, and a harm to society. He eventually tries to persuade the louse into leaving the female alone by saying it should go to a plantation or to the homeless because that is where it is expected to be. The narrator tries to put up a front by talking about killing the louse to which he is afraid of what it could do to him. There seems to be a shift in perspective at the end of the story to the louse where it explains that it needs to eat to survive. The story is a symbol of the rich and poor dichotomy at the time. It emphasises about how the rich
are hollow as individuals where they use their power and luxuries as a shell to hide in. This relates well to the personal hygiene of the time where the poor are dirty and the rich are trying to be clean. The central idea correlates with the elitist mentality they have about the public.This is where they think they can bully, push, and control every facet of the peasants lives without repercussion through intimidation and power because they are wealthy and come from ‘noble’ blood. This main idea has a juxtaposing aspect where it fuses with the louse and the mouse. This is juxtaposition is the poor trying to survive in poverty and the oppression of the rich. To A Louse is also a symbol of the poor eventually climbing up to the elites and their disdain for people who attempt to rise in the economic and social hierarchy.