Essay Questions

How does Galsworthy show the devastating impact larger corporations have on smaller businesses?

Galsworthy shows this impact in different ways, including through characterization. The Gessler brothers, although talented, are depicted as being exhausted and alienated from the fruit of their labor. When one of the brothers notices that the narrator is wearing shoes from a large corporation, he explains the impact this has had on his smaller business, and the narrator comments on his weary appearance: "Looking at his lined face I saw things I had never noticed before, bitter things and bitter struggle- and what a lot of gray hairs there seemed suddenly in his red beard!" Overall, this description emphasizes the stress that small businesses are under, symbolized by the brothers. Later, it is revealed that the younger Gessler brother died of starvation, emphasizing his lack of business.

What explanation is given for the death of the younger Gessler brother?

After buying some excellent shoes, the narrator returns to the Gessler shop to congratulate the younger Gessler brother. However, once there, he discovers another young man in the shop. This man tells the narrator that he has taken over the shop and that the previous owner had unfortunately died. He explains that the "poor old man starved himself... slow starvation, the doctor called it." He explains that Mr. Gessler had worked so hard and long on orders that he barely earned enough to survive.