Complete Works of Jerome K. Jerome
Our short story of the week is The Man Who Did Not Believe In Luck by Jerome K. Jerome.
What is The Man Who Did Not Believe In Luck by Jerome K Jerome About?
A man comes onto the train with seven different weekly papers, all of which insures the reader against death or injury by railway accident. Before the new rider entered the stagecoach, he had picked up a horseshoe for good luck. Inside, he places the horseshoe carefully on a rack above where he is sitting. The train lurches suddenly – the horseshoe falls on his head. Another passenger, the unnamed narrator of the story, asks him if he is hurt and he responds, “It did, a little.”
The narrator asks the man what he is doing with a horseshoe, and he launches into a sad story about his ‘bad’ luck. He was born on a Wednesday and because being born on that day of the week is bad luck, none of his relations wanted to have anything to do with him. When a wealthy uncle dies, he bequeaths everything to the unlucky man’s brother, who was born on Friday, a lucky day. Then he unfolds a story about a black cat he got because it is supposed to be lucky, but the cat ate his friend’s canary.
Next, Mr Unlucky acquires a Piebald horse because it is supposed to bring him good luck. “Lost me the best crib I ever had in my life,” was the simple rejoinder. “The governor stood it a good deal longer than I had any right to expect; but you can’t keep a man who is always drunk. It gives a firm a bad name.” He blames the horse for him drinking too much alcohol.
From the story, you get a sense that the man who considers himself to be unlucky, lacks common sense, and likes to blame his circumstances on others, and other things. If you believe you are unlucky, that is exactly what the universe delivers to you. One Christmas Eve, his boss at the time, gives him a large goose, which he cannot use because he is going away for Christmas. Instead of passing the gift forward because of his good luck and fortune, he tries to sell the goose, which no one wants. He tries to give away the goose, but is critical and judgmental regarding who is worthy of the gift. Frustrated, he tosses the goose over the Canal Bridge into the water below.
The Man Who Did Not Believe In Luck by Jerome K. Jerome is a very interesting story. The police recover a dead baby wrapped up, and he is charged because no one believes that the package he tossed over the bridge was a goose, and he spends Christmas and Boxing Day in prison.
““In the end the evidence against me was held to be insufficient to justify a conviction, and I got off on the minor charge of drunk and disorderly. But I lost my situation and I lost my young lady, and I don’t care if I never see a goose again.”
We were nearing Liverpool Street. He collected his luggage, and taking up his hat made an attempt to put it on his head. But in consequence of the swelling caused by the horseshoe it would not go anywhere near him, and he laid it sadly back upon the seat.
“No,” he said quietly, “I can’t say that I believe very much in luck.””
Should You Read The Man Who Did Not Believe In Luck by Jerome K Jerome?
This story reminds me to pay attention to my thoughts and actions, and take responsibility for myself. We cannot always control the circumstances that we find ourselves in, but we have complete control over how we respond. The Man Who Did Not Believe In Luck by Jerome K Jerome is a great story.
Some Books by Jerome K Jerome
Three Men in a BoatThree Men on the BummelTold After Supper
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I read short stories every day to practice speed reading drills. I sometimes read the stories that are selected for the day, or there are times when I choose a story and read it. Won’t you join me by using speed reading bookmarklets to increase your reading speed? You can find short stories at American Literature.
