HAIRCUT by Ring Lardner AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND Ring Lardner Ringgold Wilmer Lardner Ring Lardner was born on March 6, 1885 in Niles, Michigan. He was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre. In 1 916, Lardner published his first successful book, You Know Me Al , an epistolary novel . Lardner also had a lifelong fascination with the theatre, although his only success was June Moon, a comedy co-written with Broadway veteran George S. Kaufman. He died September 25, 1933, at age 48 in East Hampton, New York, of complications from tuberculosis. Other works of Ring Lardner
Bib Ballads (1915)
You Know Me Al (1916)
Champion (1916)
Gullible's Travels (1917)
Treat 'Em Rough (1918)
The Big Town (1921; basis of 1948 movie So This Is New York)
How to Write Short Stories (1924)
Haircut (1925)
Round Up (1929)
Characters Dick Whitey He is the narrator. He was called by many people as “Whitey”. He owns a barber shop in America. He got a barber from Carterville who was Jim Ke ndall. Jim Kendall He is the antagonist, known as comical per son in the barbershop. He worked in a factory of canned goods in Carterville. He is a humorist. He is already married but he still likes Julie Gregg. He pranks people by imitating other people’s voices. Hod Meyers He is Jim’s friend. He likes to crack jokes together with Jim. Julie Gregg She is a kind girl. She likes Doc Stair but Doc Stair doesn’t like her. Paul and Jim like her. She lived with her mother after his father died. Doc Stair He is handsome and young. He has clothes that look like those that are made to order. He works as a doctor and a coroner. Paul Dickson He is a friend of Jim and was called by Jim as “cuckoo”. He is silly and suspicious. He likes Julie Gregg. Gregg. Doc Gamble and Doc Foote They are old doctors that worked in the town for many years. Ken Beatty He was the coroner before Doc Stair and died because of flu. Milt Sheppard He is a friend of Jim and Hod. He has an Adam’s apple that looks like a mush-melon. mush -melon. Charles Vail He is a druggist. Mrs. John Scott A good customer of Whitey. Jim used imitated her voice to prank Whitey. Mrs. Kendall She is Jim’s wife. She works as a dressmaker but she can’ support herself and her kids. Joe Barnes He is a friend of Julie’s father. Julie talks to him when Jim gets rough to her. Plot Exposition Whitey was telling the story to his customer. It started from the story of Jim Kendall and Hod Meyers. They were the town’s jokers. They made practical practical jokes out of the physical features of a person. Jim was not a good husband and father
to his kids. He worked in a canned goods company. Doc Stair then came to the town. He was a young doctor and became a coroner when Ken Beatty died. Rising Action Paul, then, was introduced. He was a patient and a friend of Doc Stair whe n he fell out of a tree and got a brain damage. He crazily liked Julie Gregg. Julie Gregg was a woman of about thirty. She is infatuated with Doc Stair but Doc Stair didn’t like her. Jim liked Julie Gregg. One day, in front of the whole crowd, Jim confessed that he was stuck on Julie. He told jokes to Julie but it had no effect to Julie since Jim was a married man. Jim did what he can to get Julie. He got to Julie’s house one night and tried to grab her but Julie locked herself inside the room. He called Joe Barnes to help her. The news was spread throughout the town. Jim planned to have his revenge. Climax Jim made his revenge. He went to the Doc Stair’s office because he knew that the doctor’s not there. He went there with other drunk men. He imitated the doctor’s voice and phoned Julie. He said that he wanted her to go to his office because he wanted to talk to her for a while. Julie came, rung the bell and called for Ralphie, the doctor. There was no answer and the gang was running and chasing her. Everyone knew the story except Doc Stair. Falling Action Paul knew the story. He reported it to Doc Stair. One day, Jim c ame to the barbershop to go duck hunting with Hod. Unfortunately, Hod was not there so Paul volunteered. Jim promised Paul that he will let him shoot a couple of ducks. After Jim had shot few ducks, he gave the gun to Paul. Paul, without any e xperience of using a gun, was nervous and then let the gun fire. Suddenly, Jim died. Resolution Doc Stair knew about what happened. As t he coroner of the town, he declared it as an accidental shooting. White y said he would never let a beginner to shoot a gun. After the story, he asked the customer. “Comb it wet or dry?” Conflict The conflict in the story was Man vs. Man. It was Jim who was the antagonist and many characters we re against him especially Julie because of what he did to her. Jim died and maybe Paul didn’t shot Jim accidentally but intentionally because of what Jim did to Julie, who was Paul’s crush. Theme “Do not do unto others what you want others not to do unto you.” These can be used to express the theme of the story. Jim suffered the consequence for what he did to Julie. Revenge can be depicted as the theme of the story because it was revenge that revolved in the story especially when Jim revenged to Julie. Other points for analysis of the story Which character can you relate to? I think I can relate most to Doctor Stair. As it is said in the story, Doctor Stair is dedicated to his work. I think I can relate myself to him because I am dedicated in doing every work that I am doing in my life. Also, Doctor Stair wanted to beat Jim up but he knew that it would just make the condition worse. So, Doctor Stair just told Paul "anybody that would do a thing like that ought not to be let live.“ I am like Doctor Stair, I don’t want to make proble ms worse so sometimes I just let things go on t heir way. Is the story trying to imply something in my life? I think that the story Haircut implies something in my life. It implies that I should not do things to others t hat I don’t want others not to do to me. Sometimes, I do bad jokes to some of my friends. Maybe, the story says that I should not do things like bad jokes because I m ight suffer a consequence which is worse than what I did to my friends. An analysis of the short story “Haircut” by Ring Lardner by John Michael G. Porca of IV-Quezon
