Examine the main character in George Saunders' short story, "Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz."
In this essay I will examine the main character in George Saunders’ short story, “Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz.” I will discuss how Saunders’ nameless narrator regards himself compared to how minor characters in the story feel about him. Finally, I will describe the multifaceted personality of the narrator, explaining my reasons for why I think he behaves the way he does.
The narrator describes himself as a loser and a man in despair. He is steeped in depression over the death of his beloved, Elizabeth, 3 years prior. “I don’t shower. I don’t shave. I put on the same pants I had on before. It’s too much” (229). The author’s humor disarms in the scene where the narrator breaks down and telephones Guiltmasters, a brother/sister psychiatric practice featured on late-night television ads. It becomes apparent, after spilling his guts and then being curiously brushed off, that even Guiltmasters cannot help him now. He thinks of fleeing the city “or setting myself on fire downtown” (229). Instead, he works.
Saunders’ main character operates a futuristic personal interactive holography franchise that he opened with the money Elizabeth left him after her death. He is in the business of escape. He’s good at the escape part, but lousy at the business part. His equipment is outdated and his clients are few, yet regular and satisfied. The narrator displays outward affection toward them but at the same time, he is reluctantly generous. He curses under his breath when Theo Kiley laughs off his outstanding bill, and then refers to the armless Mr. Feltriggi as a friend. In any case, there’s a question whether the narrator’s actions toward his clients are entirely genuine. Perhaps, because of his own grief, he can identify with their need to escape their dreary realities. He doesn’t seem to be very concerned that his business is failing, except that he needs money to care for Mrs. Ken Schwartz, an ElderAid client, to whom the narrator has lost himself in service as a means of grief management. Attending to Mrs. Schwartz is how he spends every moment of his “free” time. He describes her as “my real job, my penance, my albatross” (232). He is angry, and he directs that anger at Mrs. Schwartz. This causes him to feel even worse: “No, I think, I’m a man without a life, due to you. Then I feel ashamed and purposely bash my shin against the bedframe while tucking her in” (233).