Short Stories
The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde
Introduction
Let’s begin with the synopsis of this short story. Hughie Erskine is a gorgeous and well-known man. He has every accomplishment except earning money. He tries everything; from being an investor, a tea- merchant, to selling dry sherry. Nothing works and what makes thing worse that he is in love. The girl is Laura Merton, the daughter of a retired Colonel. Both are madly in love and adoring each other. The problem is, Hughie had no idea how he could manage to get ten thousand pounds to get her hand in marriage, as her father has demand. One day, Hughie’s benevolent nature leads him to a wonderful consequence. Given ten thousand by a ‘beggar’ as a wedding present, Hughie could marry Laura instantly with no doubt.
The writer of this story, Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. He is known for being humorous and some of his plays still being performed broadly, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.
After I have read this story a few times, I’ve found out that there are some parts of the story that keep me reading; attentively. The title itself had made me thinking, what this jobless man is going to do with ‘model millionaire’? I’m quite sure that this is not a story where a man with no profession suddenly found a treasure in his backyard and then became an instant millionaire. He must be overcoming something, or struggling to make his dreams come true. Other than that, I don’t have to wait for too long because the author did not take time to introduce the important part of the story.
Narration Style
The Model Millionaire is a story where not any of the character is narrating the story. We called it omniscient point of view. Everyone in the story is being exposed to the reader without prejudice. The narrator knows the entire events that happen. What makes this story more significant is that the narrator intrusively being in depth in showing how a certain
Introduction
Let’s begin with the synopsis of this short story. Hughie Erskine is a gorgeous and well-known man. He has every accomplishment except earning money. He tries everything; from being an investor, a tea- merchant, to selling dry sherry. Nothing works and what makes thing worse that he is in love. The girl is Laura Merton, the daughter of a retired Colonel. Both are madly in love and adoring each other. The problem is, Hughie had no idea how he could manage to get ten thousand pounds to get her hand in marriage, as her father has demand. One day, Hughie’s benevolent nature leads him to a wonderful consequence. Given ten thousand by a ‘beggar’ as a wedding present, Hughie could marry Laura instantly with no doubt.
The writer of this story, Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. He is known for being humorous and some of his plays still being performed broadly, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.
After I have read this story a few times, I’ve found out that there are some parts of the story that keep me reading; attentively. The title itself had made me thinking, what this jobless man is going to do with ‘model millionaire’? I’m quite sure that this is not a story where a man with no profession suddenly found a treasure in his backyard and then became an instant millionaire. He must be overcoming something, or struggling to make his dreams come true. Other than that, I don’t have to wait for too long because the author did not take time to introduce the important part of the story.
Narration Style
The Model Millionaire is a story where not any of the character is narrating the story. We called it omniscient point of view. Everyone in the story is being exposed to the reader without prejudice. The narrator knows the entire events that happen. What makes this story more significant is that the narrator intrusively being in depth in showing how a certain