Haircut
To bring up the point of argument of whether or not the character "Whitey," in Ring Lardner's story "Haircut" is deserving of sympathy, one must assume that readers might view Whitey as undeserving of our sympathy. This is due to the fact he is a hypocrite and knows all of the town's business, and most of all, he idolizes the town prankster and drunk, Jim Kendall. Despite his obsessions with the local gossip and Jim Kendall, he is worthy of sympathy. Whitey's worthiness is from him living his life vicariously through others, unable to see things as they are, and lack of education. Whitey, the barber, lives his life through the local town folk and the tales of their lives that are told at his barbershop. He rarely speaks of his own life and he likes hearing the stories of others and, when repeating one, would assume he was the person's friend and confidant.Whitey's life is dull and unexciting. All he has is his job as a barber, and for excitement he listens to the gossip. He practically id
The rest of the town sees Jim as a town drunk, prankster, and cheat. He tells the adventures of Jim's life such as him sending postcards while out of town to businesses in order to cause marital problems for others, playing jokes on Paul, a mentally handicapped boy, and other jokes he played on other town folk. He doesn't see that the town fears him and when he enters the barbershop and give him the chair that they aren't doing it because they like him. Whitey telling the out-of-towner these stories makes it sound like Jim and Whitey were good friends. Also, he is gullible, and doesn't see the things the rest of the town sees. you'd thought it was a reserved seat like they have sometimes in a theaytre" (647). After Jim died he even kept his shaving mug around and it sat next to Charley's mug, for ". And now Jim said he was canned himself" (648). olizes Jim Kendall, who is always up to no good. Whitey says, "Whoever had been settin' in that chair, why, they'd get up when Jim come in and give it to him. He truly believes that Jim is good at heart and is blind to the outcome of the pranks and the damage it does to people's lives. Throughout the story, Whitey appears to be uneducated for many of reasons.
Common topics in this essay:
Jim Kendall,
John Scott's,
Kendall Jim,
Carterville Jim,
Whitey Whoever,
Jim Whitey,
Ring Lardner's,
Kendall Despite,
,
jim kendall,
town jim,
rest town,
town folk,
jim heart,
whitey's life,
living life,
jim's pranks,
rest town jim,
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Acceptance Essays
