Somerset Maugham’s Mr. Know-All is an excellent short story. At the beginning, the narrator dislikes Mr. Kelada, or “Mr. Know-All,” because he seems to know everything about everything. Yet by the end, the narrator admits, “I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada.” I thought he would change his opinion about Mr. Kelada at the end of the story.
The
turning point comes when Mr. Kelada confidently declares that Mrs. Ramsay’s
pearl necklace is genuine and worth thirty thousand dollars. Her husband
insists it cost only eighteen dollars, and they wager a hundred. When Mr.
Kelada examines the pearls closely, he realizes they are real — but he also
sees the desperate plea in Mrs. Ramsay’s eyes. Understanding instantly that the
necklace must be a secret gift from her wealthy lover, he chooses to protect
her. He lies, calls the pearls fake, and pays Ramsay the hundred dollars.
Somerset Maugham’s Mr. Know-All is an excellent short story. At the beginning, the narrator dislikes Mr. Kelada or “Mr. Know-All” because he seems to know everything about everything. Yet by the end, the narrator admits, “I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada.” I thought he would change his opinion about Mr. Kelada at the end of the story.
The title Mr. Know-All is fitting not only because Kelada knows facts about everything, but because he understands people — especially when compassion matters more than being right.
