Introduction
E.V. Lucas was born in 1838 and died in 1968. He is considered among great satire writers of 20th century. He wrote thirty collections of essays. The story cum essay ‘Third Thoughts’ was part of collection ‘The Phantom Journal – And other Essays and Diversions’ (1919). His gentle satiric humor is well known in literature world. In this story cum essay also he has put that gentle satire to good use.
Critical Summary
Narrator of the essay is a friend of Lucas. Lucas is here telling about the deal of a friend. His friend and narrator thinks himself not a good dealer as he usually buy at dearest and sell at cheapest. He is not profitable in his deals. Then one day accidently his gaze fell on a painting of Turner. The dealer of that painting was not sure about its originality and sold that painting to the narrator at only ten shillings. Narrator first time in his life ends up in a profitable deal as he sold that painting further in fifty pounds.
Suddenly he starts to think about sharing his half of the profit with that unfortunate dealer and decide to write a letter to him and send him half of the profit. But in morning 3:30 am he woke up and thought came in his mind that why should I become so much quixotic? This world is not for quixotry. He should not put so much amount on ineptitude as it was he who identified the painting not the dealer. So his circuitous thoughts made him reduce money to ten pounds. He tried to sleep again but it was not happening and he again put thought to the amount he was sending and it occurred to him that such a huge amount would create misunderstanding in his mind and he would accept similar favour from other customers which they wouldn’t do. He was a nice old man who talked him politely. Hence to save him from such state of despair it would be nice if he gets five pounds only.
Next morning narrator again reconsider decision of gifting five pounds. He started to analyse that goddess of fortune and money has come to terms with him recently it would be equivalent to disrespecting the goddess of fortune. Hence only a pound would be enough along with the letter. He put that letter and cheque of a pound in his pocket and went for lunch. It was the day when narrator lost all his money in playing Bridge (a type of card game) and he was thanking God that he did not post the letter as it was that one pound only which was left with him and he didn’t even send that.
Themes
- Human Psychology – Lucas has adroitly read human psychology in perspective of money. He dexterously shows clash of quixotry and selfishness. The narrator first time in his life got the profit in a deal. His benevolent mind made him share half of the money with the dealer of painting who is an old man. But first time having such a good amount in form of profit made him money minded and selfish and he starts reducing the amount on every successive thought. At the end he wasn’t able to give the dealer anything.
- Business world doesn’t have place for emotions – It is very aptly written that business involves a buyer and a seller hence emotions should not meddle into this. Essay shows us how emotions tried to made him share his profit with the dealer but the business mind was reducing the to be shared money.
- Money changes hand – This essay gives an important message and which is also a significant theme too. It is mobile nature of money. People wants to hoard it. But it’s human nature which make the money mobile. Human due to his selfishness, greed, extravagance etc. make the money to change hands. In the essay narrator got a good profit in his deal. It would have been fine if had digested the profit and put it into good use. But he involved in thoughts of sharing the profit with the dealer and at the end in game of cards ‘Bridge’ he lost all his money. Hence what came at the starting left at the end.
Diction
EV Lucas has written this fiction in the manner of a story. His diction in the story has been very easy to understand and free flowing. He did not use any jargon or biblical allusions which makes the essay difficult to understand.
Humour
Lucas’ gentle satiric humour is rampantly available in the essay. He first of all applied satire while explaining condition of his friend who is forced by customers to sell at cheapest and buy at dearest. How good such a businessman or dealer would be who can’t handle his customers. When he got the profit in a deal first time he immediately thinks about donation. This was humorous that you haven’t spent a single day with your newly earned money and started thinking about sharing it and that too with that old dealer who gave the narrator painting in just ten shillings. Here human psychology is put to test. The thoughts after thoughts in mind of the narrator are humorously explained by the essayist.
Title
It is a very apt and suggestive title. There is a term ‘second thought’ which means to rethink about something. But here writer introduced a new term ‘third thoughts’ which means to keep thinking and keep changing your previous decision. In a way one is caught in the circuitous cycle of keep thinking and changing decision. It happened when human mind has caught in the web of selfishness. Here too narrator after gaining profit in the deal thought of giving half of the money to the poor old dealer. The first thought was based on his inherent nature of benevolence. But after that successive thoughts were totally based on his greed and selfishness.
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