An Analysis of Mr. Know All by W. Somerset Maugham
Mr. Know-All – Literary analysis
THE STORY
Mr. Know-All is a story with a moral lesson. The subject is simple. A rich British merchant of Oriental origin, named Mr. Kelada, meets a group of Westerners on a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Yokohama. His cabin-mate, a British citizen who is the nameless narrator of the story, dislikes Mr. Kelada even before he sees him. However, at the end of the story Mr. Kelada, the Levantine jeweler, proves to be a real gentleman when he sacrifices his own pride and reputation to save an American lady’s marriage. As a result, he earns the respect of the narrator.
THE SETTING
Time – a short time after World War I. It is mentioned for two reasons. First, it justifies the accidental meeting in the same cabin of the narrator and Mr. Kelada. The passenger traffic on the ocean-liners was heavy, so the narrator had to agree to share a cabin with a person he disliked. Second, it may give us a possible reason for the narrator’s unjustified antagonism towards Mr. Kelada. Usually, during periods of war, feelings of prejudice and dislike for foreigners grow stronger.
Place – it takes place on a ship in INTERNATIONAL WATERS – a neutral place.
The journey from USA to Japan takes 14 days.
The ship becomes the symbol of the world with people who are prejudiced and even racists. Although the characters are far from their native societies, they still bring with them their racial and cultural prejudices.
THE PLOT
The story consists of two plots: the main plot and the sub-plot. 1. The main plot deals with the conflicting relationship between the narrator and Mr. Kelada. 2. The sub-plot deals with the relationship between Mr. Kelada and Mr. Ramsay. They discuss real pearls (nature-made) and cultured pearls (man-made), then they bet whether Mrs. Ramsay's necklace is made of real pearls or imitation.
The two plots are connected. The sub-plot serves to bring the complications of
THE STORY
Mr. Know-All is a story with a moral lesson. The subject is simple. A rich British merchant of Oriental origin, named Mr. Kelada, meets a group of Westerners on a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Yokohama. His cabin-mate, a British citizen who is the nameless narrator of the story, dislikes Mr. Kelada even before he sees him. However, at the end of the story Mr. Kelada, the Levantine jeweler, proves to be a real gentleman when he sacrifices his own pride and reputation to save an American lady’s marriage. As a result, he earns the respect of the narrator.
THE SETTING
Time – a short time after World War I. It is mentioned for two reasons. First, it justifies the accidental meeting in the same cabin of the narrator and Mr. Kelada. The passenger traffic on the ocean-liners was heavy, so the narrator had to agree to share a cabin with a person he disliked. Second, it may give us a possible reason for the narrator’s unjustified antagonism towards Mr. Kelada. Usually, during periods of war, feelings of prejudice and dislike for foreigners grow stronger.
Place – it takes place on a ship in INTERNATIONAL WATERS – a neutral place.
The journey from USA to Japan takes 14 days.
The ship becomes the symbol of the world with people who are prejudiced and even racists. Although the characters are far from their native societies, they still bring with them their racial and cultural prejudices.
THE PLOT
The story consists of two plots: the main plot and the sub-plot. 1. The main plot deals with the conflicting relationship between the narrator and Mr. Kelada. 2. The sub-plot deals with the relationship between Mr. Kelada and Mr. Ramsay. They discuss real pearls (nature-made) and cultured pearls (man-made), then they bet whether Mrs. Ramsay's necklace is made of real pearls or imitation.
The two plots are connected. The sub-plot serves to bring the complications of