Quality": The Character Of Gessler Can Be Understood Fully Only In Terms Of His Attitude Toward His Work
He was a character. But he made good boots" (7). This proves to be the epitaph of Mr. Gessler of John Galsworthy's short story "Quality." Gessler a man characterized by a near-fanatical devotion to his work as a boot-maker, to the point that he insists on making all of the boots himself, refuses to advertise, and takes so long to complete his perfect work that even his customers are frustrated. "Id is an Ardt,'" Gessler says of his labor even though shoemaking is usually viewed a humble trade (2). Gessler is utterly devoted to customizing every pair of shoes to the needs of the individual customer, to the point that his death inspires the narrator to tears at the end of the tale.
Personal attention is integral to the relationship between Gessler and the people who buy his boots. "One went in, not as into most shops, in the mood of: 'Please serve me, and let me go!'" (3) Gessler's relationship with the narrator is the antithesis of commercialization. The author suggests that care for the individual is characteristic of small, personal enterprises like Gessler's shoe shop, unlike standardized, corporate places of trade. Gessler can recognize a manufactured boot from far away, and will not charge for poorly made goods. "If I can do noding wid dem, I dake dem off your bill" (4). He says of firms, "dey get id by adverdisement, nod by work" (5).
For Gessler, the quality of his work is the only advertisement that is legitimate as he equates his own value with the quality and value of his work. He even looks like his handiwork: "Himself, he was a little as if made from leather" (2). But this belief impoverishes and ultimately kills Gessler. Eventually, the narrator learns that Gessler prioritizes his own life over his shoes, and funnels all of the profits back into the rent of the shop and the leather of his trade, so he starves to death.
Works Cited
Galsworthy, John. "Quality." E-text from Project Guttenberg. 25 Sept 2004.
23 Mar 2007. http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile-fk_files=101658&pageno=1
