The Card

Description

Like most other novels written by Arnold Bennett, The Card is set in Potteries District in Staffordshire that Bennett himself grew up in and it features the everyday life of everyday people trying to improve their circumstances.

The main character of The Card is Edward Henry Machin, the son of a washerwoman, and the story takes the reader on a journey follow to Machin’s ascent to town mayor. The novel begins with Machin’s birth – to add an even more personal note to the story, he is born on the 27th of May, 1867, the same day that the author himself was born.

At the age of 12, Machin wins a scholarship to grammar school. At the age of 16 he starts working as a clerk for a local solicitor, which gives him the opportunity to prove his qualities and start his ascent on the social ladder. He leaves the service of the solicitor for a job as a rent collector and he starts lending money with high interest rates to those who have fallen behind with their payments. He starts making large profit soon and he also starts courting a local dance teacher.

He goes on holiday to Llandudno, where he sees another business opportunity – he starts organizing sightseeing tours to a shipwreck close to the shore. He eventually breaks up with his girlfriend, but business continues to be great. He finds a new venture, something we might call a Ponzi scheme today. However, success doesn’t seem to leave Manchin’s side and he embarks on a political career as well, becoming the town’s youngest ever mayor.

The novel is short and full of comic incidents. Written in 1911, The Card provides the reader a glimpse of different times and different morals through the life and adventures of a character that can only be successful in all his endeavors.
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