Character of John the Miser - Essay Example

John the Miser John was a miser; he only focused on saving his money but spent none. Most of the people in the villageof Guntana referred to him as a ‘money man.’ He did not have a house or a place of his own. He also did not have a family and neglected his relatives because they were too ‘demanding.’ His preference was to lead a life of his own, a life with no spending, but full of earnings. The way he could do this was initially tricky for him. However, after a considered thought, he decided to stay at the Homeless place. He visited the Holmes with nothing and requested them to host them for a week. Since he looked hopeless and pathetic, the Holmes were happy that he could help them with some homework. They hoped to keep him so that they could also send him for errands and leave them at home looking after the kids. “How much will you be paying me for the responsibilities?” asked John, “we do not have to pay you, that will compensate for the accommodation and food that we will be giving you.” Upon hearing this, John was annoyed. He started complaining and even almost insulted the Holmes for their lack of concern for him. It took the intervention of Julieta, a woman who personally knew John in the village. Since he had no other place to go, he had to accept the deal with the Holmes. Life at the Holmes was a bit challenging. He was forced to wake up early and slept late. Although he did not spend not even a cent of his savings, he did not earn anything except food and accommodation benefit. This infuriated John and made him confront the Holmes on the second day, “This is too unfair! I have to leave you alone with your pathetic offers.” John had started imagining that everything would work out well for him and that he no longer needed Holmes’ help. He even accused the Holmes of misusing him and vowed to sue them by the end of the week. This is despite the fact that he had personally agreed to the initial deal of staying with them and doing what the family does for no pay. Outside the Holmes, life was not as he had expected. It reminded him of his school days when he solely depended on his peers. When he was in class five, he had entered into a peer gang that taught him many ‘skills’ including what he referred to as ‘taking what others had misplaced.’ The only thing that kept John away from stealing is the memory of his late father who had died while John was twelve. John had not seen his father since birth and only spent three months with him before his death. As his mother had earlier narrated to him, his father was caught in a robbery scene and was in prison for the many years he was not with the family. The torture at the prison cost his life even after being released. By whatever means, however, John had to survive and make his life better. He did not take his money in the bank. He carried it in a big sack everywhere and counted it from time to time to ensure that not a single coin was missing. He would rather go hungry for days than ‘touch’ his money (Tate 4). The old notes in his bag were the only thing he owned in his life, yet he valued them like he owned everything. He hoped that his money would one day make him the richest man in the village. “My good friend, where have you been all this time?” The voice almost made John to freeze. It was in the middle of the night and he had gone to a dark place in an old deserted house to relieve himself. This was the first time that John met with Senior. Senior was a light-hearted guy who was simple and ready to help John get a place to sleep and something to eat. In the streets of Kongeni, most of the people walking during the night were either drunkards or street children. The life in the streets was the most challenging moment of John’s life. Even before they had reached the hotel where senior would show him some of the cheapest meals in the place, John was confronted by a small boy in tattered clothes who had a grudge against him. “You do not belong to us, you are not one of our own,” The young boy yelled at John. As he later came to learn from him, John was the only neatly dressed person among all the boys. The boys saw him as the richest in the streets. Indeed, John’s dream of being the richest person in the ‘village’ had already come true. The boys welcomed him cheerfully at the hotel and some even offered to buy food for him. The food was tasteless and stinking. John vomited even before he had swallowed the first spoon. This made the boys feel for him, except the youngest in the group who referred to him as ‘a proud uncivilized fellow.’ After the food was not consumable to him, Senior had an option for him. John only realized the meaning of the ‘holy’ option offered by senior the following morning. He could not recall anything about the previous night. “I wonder what kind of a drink that was,” John was heard shouting in the morning. “You have never tasted alcohol?” Senior revealed to John as John wondered how it made him feel weak, helpless, and subconscious. “My bag! My sack!” everyone’s attention was caught by the cries of John as he run everywhere looking for his sack. The sack had his life savings that he never wished to spend a coin. It was gone, the city council workers, as Senior latter narrated to him, came collecting the rubbish and went away with the sack. “What, went away with my bank?” that was the last statement that John heard himself saying. The next thing he saw in his right mind was a strange hospital environment. The nurse explained to him that he had been attacked by the street boys. Senior was not there for him, no one was there for John, except his old mother. The street boys had beaten him to almost death after realizing that he was keeping money in the sack while they starved with hunger. The world was all dull and only his old mother was there for him. From that time onwards, John considered his old mother as his greatest friend and companion. He learned that one must earn and spend at the same time and stopped seeing his mother as a burden. Works Cited Tate, J R. Walkin on the Happy Side of Misery: A Slice of Life on the Appalachian Trail. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2011 Print. Read More