Quality - Short story by John Galsworthy

Quality - Short Story by John Galsworthy 

Welcome readers! As a Part of my Bachelor's studies at shamaldas Arts college, affiliated with MK Bhavnagar university. In this Particular blog, I will discuss the short story 'Quality' by John Galsworthy, offering a comprehensive analysis enriched with additional insights. 

The story “Quality” written by John Galsworthy in 1912 is about the German shoemakers, Gessler Brothers. It was first published in The Inn of Tranquility: Studies and Essays in 1912. The story focuses on the bitter struggle for the existence of the Gessler Brothers in the days of competition and advertisement from which they entirely remained away for lack of resources and their old - fashioned ideals. Consequently the skilled and experienced workers have to suffer starvation and yield to those more resourceful and enterprising, however unskilled they may be but prosper by compromising with quality and principles. The story also shows what our business world has become now: more the advertising, more the earning. No one pays attention to the poor traditional craftsmen who value art and quality of products. They have to suffer even though they don't deserve it. 

The overall idea of John Galsworthy's short story "Quality" revolves around the concept of craftsmanship, integrity, and the intrinsic value of quality in a society increasingly driven by materialism and commercialism. Through the character of Gessler, an artisan leatherworker, Galsworthy explores the enduring significance of traditional craftsmanship and the personal satisfaction that comes from creating objects of exceptional quality. The story challenges conventional notions of success by portraying Gessler as a humble artisan who prioritizes excellence over profit. Despite facing financial hardships and struggling to compete with mass-produced goods, Gessler remains steadfast in his commitment to his craft. His dedication to quality serves as a counterpoint to the superficial values of consumer culture, emphasizing the importance of skill, authenticity, and human connection.

Furthermore, "Quality" also examines themes of class distinction and prejudice, particularly through Gessler's interactions with affluent customers like Mrs. Ericson. Galsworthy highlights the transformative power of genuine craftsmanship in challenging preconceived notions of value and status, ultimately suggesting that true quality transcends material wealth. Overall, "Quality" is a thought-provoking exploration of the enduring significance of craftsmanship and the pursuit of excellence in an increasingly commercialized world. Through its nuanced characters and themes, the story invites readers to reflect on the true meaning of quality and the values that define a meaningful life. 

About John Galsworthy  :- 

John Galsworthy was an English novelist and Playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932. 

John Galsworthy came from a wealthy English family with businesses in many countries. He studied law but abandoned his plans to become a lawyer and instead traveled widely to look after the family’s businesses. During his travels he became acquainted with the writer Joseph Conrad, who became a close friend. Returning from his travels, he published two collections of short stories under the pseudonym John Sinjohn before his breakthrough with the novel The Island Pharisees, which was published under his own name. 

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1932 was awarded to John Galsworthy 'For his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in 'The Forsyte Saga.' 

As well as writing plays and novels with social messages, Galsworthy campaigned continually for a wide range of causes about which he felt strongly, from animal welfare to prison reform, censorship and workers rights. Although seen by many as a radical, he belonged to and supported no political party. His plays are seldom revived, but his novels have been frequently reissued. His work deals with the changing face of wider British society and how it affects people of the lower social classes. 

With growing age, Galsworthy came more and more to identify himself with the world of his novels, which at first he had judged very harshly. This development is nowhere more evident than in the author's changing attitude towards soames Forsyte, the man of Poetry,who dominates the first part of the work. 

Galsworthy was a dramatist of considerable technical skill. His plays often took up specific social grievances such as the double standard of justice as applied to the upper and lower classes in The Silver Box (1906) and the confrontation of capital and labour in Strife (1909). Justice (1910), his most famous play, led to a prison reform in England. Galsworthy’s reaction to the First World War found its expression in The Mob (1914), in which the voice of a statesman is drowned in the madness of the war-hungry masses; and in enmity of the two families of The Skin Game (1920). 

Today John Galsworthy is mainly remembered for The Forsyte Saga series. His contemporaries highly regarded him as a playwright, whose plays often dealt with social issues about class and justice. His breakthrough as a novelist came with publication of The Island Pharisees, which criticized the egotism of England’s powerful elite. With The Forsyte Saga–consisting of three novels and two short stories–he went from being a radical critic of contemporary culture with satire as a primary weapon to delineating increasingly complex character portraits with greater warmth.

About the story :- 

 The story 'Quality' is about the commitment of an artist ( shoemaker) towards his art and his ultimate death by starvation. The story also exposes the sad loss of art and quality of work in the world of fashion, pomp and materialism.  The story, written in first person narrative from an unknown narrator’s perspective, is a beautiful depiction of today’s cruel reality. The plot is set on the two traditional German shoemakers who did not compromise with quality and craftsmanship but met the sad fate of extinction in an age of marketing where success is determined ;  

 “by advertisement, not by work.”

The story shows that what our business world has become now : more the advertising, more the earning. No one pays attention to the poor traditional craftsmen who value art and quality of products. They have to suffer even though they don't deserve that.  Every worker is an artist if he loves his work and is immersed in it. The Gessler Brothers’ commitment towards their work is really touching. For them the struggles, the hardships are nothing as long as they keep doing their work. There aren’t many characters in the story but those that are there are well portrayed, beautifully described and realistic. 

The ending of the story is quite sad. There’s a sense of loss and grief. And that is what the author wants the readers to feel for those true craftsmen like the Gessler brothers who value quality, as the title suggests. 

Setting :- In a small village in switzerland.

 Symbolism :- Gessler's shoes represent his commitment to his quality and his refusal to compromise his principles.  

Tone :- Reflective and Nostalgic 

Theme :- Importance of quality in craftsmanship and business. 

Critical Analysis of the story :- 

Appropriateness of the Title :- 

 The title of the story is very significant because the entire story moves round the quality of boots, the dream of quality boots and the quality of character of Mr. Gessler. The story comes to an end with Gessler's death for quality. It was the death not of Gessler but of quality of commodities forever. The story brings home to our minds the truth that the industrial competition has eliminated quality from mass production. What is needed in business today is not quality but show. Thus, the title of the story is meaningful. 

Characterization :- 

In the story there are two main characters. The focus of attention is Mr. Gessler who is a man of peculiar quality. He is not an average man; he is rather a typical sort of person. He is a character by himself. Another character is the narrator. He is acquainted with Mr. Gessler since the age of fourteen when he used to visit Mr. Gessler to get his father's shoes. Later he starts visiting Mr. Gessler for getting his own shoes made by him. The narrator has been shown as a quality - conscious man. He is an admirer of art and the artists. It is suggested by the fact that he visits the Gessler Brothers’ shop a number of times as he admires the beauty and quality of shoes made by them. He seems to be awestruck by the beauty of shoes made by them to such an extent that he describes them as “too beautiful”; “making water come into one's mouth”. The narrator is compassionate and sympathetic by nature. He is deeply moved by the plight of the Gessler Brothers; hence he orders many pairs of shoes. 

The Use of Symbols :- 

In the story, the word “Quality” acquires a double meaning. In highly competitive commercial society, the Gessler Brothers maintain the quality of their boots. They display their quality of human nature. The basic symbols are the Gesslers, their boots and the leather they use. They form a compound symbol of an uncompromising ideal. Their boots made of the best leather and incarnating the very spirit of all footgear, is their ideal which stands for supreme quality of human nature. The Gessler Brothers stand for their type of human beings. Their personal moral victory reveals is the richness of human values. Their death symbolises the defeat of something larger than themselves. The Gessler Brothers’ tragedy signifies a moral decay in search for material civilization. Human values are threatened by material gain. 

Narrative Technique :- 

The story, written in first person narrative from an unknown narrator's perspective, is a beautiful depiction of today's cruel reality. The first person narrative helps to provide a realistic picture of the struggle faced by the handicraft industry and the artisans during the Industrial Revolution by referring to the actual encounter between the narrator and the artisan (Gessler Brothers). The plot of story has been constructed in a rather conventional way. The plot is set on the two traditional German shoemakers who did not compromise with quality and craftsmanship but met the sad fate of extinction in an age of marketing where success is determined by advertisement, not by work. 

Language Employed in the story :- 

 The narrator speaks English language but the Gessler Brothers’ English is fully contaminated with German as they are from Germany. The tone and accent of the Gesslers is half - English and half - German. Following sentence which describe their German accent: 

1. “I will ask my brudder.” 

Moral of the Story :- 

The story highlights the decline of handicrafts and cottage industry due to stiff competition from big firms in the backdrop of Industrial Revolution in England in the 20th century. The story shows that the big trading companies increase their trade and push the small traders back by advertisement, not by quality of work. They (the big companies) bring out cheap showy things on a large scale and succeed in driving the better and more durable products out of the market. Galsworthy has presented in this story the moving human tragedy resulting from the cut - throat business competition of today. In the story, Mr. Gessler not only maintains the quality of his boots but also improves it to the best of his ability. He spends all that he earns on buying the leather of best quality and makes artistic boots but never increases their price. The competition is so tough that there is no chance of increasing price. The result is that he has to starve himself to death.

Thanks for Visiting...