To Feed the Night
To Feed the Night
Greediness is unfortunately a very common behaviour. Humans have got used to being spoiled – too spoiled. Too many doesn’t have a realistic idea of how the world goes around. They want, and they want even more. “His wife earned eleven thousand pounds a year. He earned thirteen thousand pounds a year.” A sentence which is repeated four times in the short story “To Feed the Night” (2000) written by Philip Henser. This tells us, that their income is very important for our comprehension of the story.
In the short story we meet a man and his wife. Not rich not poor, anyhow they want to show another picture of their life to the surrounding world. They’ve just moved into a spectacular apartment, a very lucky buy. So spectacular, that they must brag to their friends about it. Just when we think their life is perfect, the man meets Mr. Bell, the estate agent. He presents a temptation, which is hard to resist. He offers the man an even more beautiful home, than the one the man is already owner of. The man can’t renounce the temptation.
Nothing was wrong with the former apartment, but it couldn’t stand up to the new place. The new apartment even had an extra bedroom. A bedroom the man and his wife had no need for. A symbol of material things in profusion. Though this doesn’t last long, the man quickly comes up with a solution, a baby.
“Why not,” he said. “It is very nice. And we could do with more space”
“What for?” his wife said.
“If we had a child,” he said, “for instance. It’s very nice. It’s a real bargain”
With their new apartment, they must invite their friends over. They want to show of their fake success. The success they’ve received with luckiness. But as long the picture doesn’t crack, this doesn’t come into their minds.
18 months goes buy. The house isn’t surprising them anymore, it isn’t enough.
Once again the man meets Mr. Bell. This time he has an even better offer. A big and beautiful house, in a nice and rich neighbourhood.
Greediness is unfortunately a very common behaviour. Humans have got used to being spoiled – too spoiled. Too many doesn’t have a realistic idea of how the world goes around. They want, and they want even more. “His wife earned eleven thousand pounds a year. He earned thirteen thousand pounds a year.” A sentence which is repeated four times in the short story “To Feed the Night” (2000) written by Philip Henser. This tells us, that their income is very important for our comprehension of the story.
In the short story we meet a man and his wife. Not rich not poor, anyhow they want to show another picture of their life to the surrounding world. They’ve just moved into a spectacular apartment, a very lucky buy. So spectacular, that they must brag to their friends about it. Just when we think their life is perfect, the man meets Mr. Bell, the estate agent. He presents a temptation, which is hard to resist. He offers the man an even more beautiful home, than the one the man is already owner of. The man can’t renounce the temptation.
Nothing was wrong with the former apartment, but it couldn’t stand up to the new place. The new apartment even had an extra bedroom. A bedroom the man and his wife had no need for. A symbol of material things in profusion. Though this doesn’t last long, the man quickly comes up with a solution, a baby.
“Why not,” he said. “It is very nice. And we could do with more space”
“What for?” his wife said.
“If we had a child,” he said, “for instance. It’s very nice. It’s a real bargain”
With their new apartment, they must invite their friends over. They want to show of their fake success. The success they’ve received with luckiness. But as long the picture doesn’t crack, this doesn’t come into their minds.
18 months goes buy. The house isn’t surprising them anymore, it isn’t enough.
Once again the man meets Mr. Bell. This time he has an even better offer. A big and beautiful house, in a nice and rich neighbourhood.