Mr. Know All by Somerset Maugham

Mr. Know All by William Somerset Maugham 

The story takes place in international waters on an ocean going liner sailing from San Francisco, U.S.A to Yokohama, Japan on the Pacific Ocean. As the war had just ended, it was difficult to get accommodations. Therefore, the narrator had to share a cabin with a total stranger, but he expected him to be one of his own countrymen. Instead, he was deeply shocked to realize it was a chatty Levantine of oriental origin, Mr. Max Kelada, who was not British, but a native of one of the British colonies (he did have a British passport). Although his origin isn't stated precisely, his name suggests middle-eastern origin.

The narrator was prepared to dislike Mr. Kelada even before he saw him. When he first entered the cabin, he saw Mr. Kelada's luggage and toilet things that had already been unpacked. The man's name and the sight of his things aroused a strong repulsion in him since he was prejudiced against all non- Britons, feeling superior to them. The irony of the story lies in the fact that the list of Mr. Kelada's "negative" traits presented in the beginning of the story shows an orderly, neat and tidy gentleman.

When the narrator met Mr. Kelada, his hatred got even stronger. He abhorred the cultural differences between Kelada and himself. He both detested and despised Mr. Kelada's gestures. Therefore, the description of Kelada is negative and biased. 

Mr. Kelada was a person that seemed to know everything and was involved in everything, not sensing that he was disliked by everybody. He was very chatty and talked as if he had been superior to everybody else. The passengers mocked him and called him Mr. Know - All even to his face.

There was another dogmatic person on the ship - Mr. Ramsay who was an American Consular Serviceman stationed in Kobe, Japan. He was on his way to Kobe after having picked up his pretty little wife, who had stayed on her own in New York for a whole year. She looked very modest. Her clothes were simple although they achieved an effect of quiet distinction. She looked perfect and was adorable.

One evening, the conversation drifted to the subject of pearls. As Mrs. Ramsay was wearing a string of pearls, Mr. Kelada announced that it certainly was a genuine one which had probably cost many thousands of dollars. He was ready to bet a hundred dollars on it. Mr. Ramsay, on the other hand, was sure that his wife had bought it for 18 dollars in a department store. When Mr. Know - All took out a magnifying glass from his pocket, he noticed a desperate appeal in Mrs. Ramsay's eyes. He then realized that Mrs. Ramsay got the pearls from her lover .Since Mr. Kelada didn't want to destroy Mrs. Ramsay's marriage, he ruined his reputation instead - he told everybody that he was wrong and that the string was an excellent imitation. He gave Mr. Ramsay a hundred dollars.

The story spread all over the ship and everybody mocked Mr. Kelada. Later, while the narrator and Mr. Know - All were in their cabin, an envelope was pushed under the door. It contained a hundred dollar bill from Mrs. Ramsay. It was then that the narrator learned to value the dark - skinned Levantine. He was amazed at Mr. Kelada's generosity.

The discussion over whether the pearls are genuine or not, raises another issue. Why pearls? What do they symbolize? In our story, the real pearls symbolize compassion and kindness, being pure of heart the generous. The cultured (imitation) pearls symbolize being fake and dishonest. Now, all we have to figure out is, which of the characters show traits of the real pearl and which show traits of the cultured pearls.

This story shows that first impressions are often misleading and that appearances are sometimes deceptive. Mr. Kelada who is described as a disgusting person who shows off all the time and knows everything better than others, is in reality a sensitive, brave gentleman who wouldn't hurt others. On the other hand, Mrs. Ramsay, whose modesty and good qualities no one questions, has been unfaithful to her husband.

The moral of the story is that we must not judge a book by its cover. Rather than judging a person by his looks, colour or origin we should observe his behaviour and reactions in difficult situations.

• The characters

The narrator is presented as a typical upper class Englishman. He wants to be addressed with mister in front of his name. He likes formality, He is snobbish.

Max Kelada is presented as a typical Levantine (Middle Eastern). In the beginning he appears to be an insensitive person who interferes in other people's lives. He is informal, loud, dogmatic and a know all. At the end of the story he is presented as a sensitive and caring man who does not want to hurt Mrs. Ramsey.  At the end we discover that he was a real know all.

The narrator judged Mr. Kelada by his appearance and his behaviour. The narrator is prejudiced because he prejudged Kelada at the beginning of the story, before he even met him. At the end he found out that he was wrong. However, he remained a typical upper-class Englishman but became more tolerant of people who may not be English. By the end he" did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada". At the end we find out that Mr. Kelada is actually a pragmatic person and not dogmatic as he was presented. Mr. Kelada behaved like a gentleman. He is the "real pearl" in the story.

• Thinking skills:

Explaining Patterns (see p. 22) – this thinking skill helps us understand the story because from Mr. Kelada's pattern of behaviour, which was to act like a know-all, we could appreciate the great effort he had to make admitting he was wrong.

Uncovering Motives (see p. 23) – this thinking skill help us understand that Mr. Keladas motive was to protect Mrs. Ramsay, and that is why he did not reveal her secret.

Predicting (see p. 23) – Nothing in the story prepares us for Kelada's behaviour. He was" everywhere and always". He wouldn't drop a subject unless he had brought the other person around his way of thinking. At the end Kelada goes against his nature and for the first time admits he was wrong even though he knew that he was right.

Inferring – much of our understanding of the story depends on our ability to infer. The thinking skill of inferring is spiralled in the story.

For example: from the narrator's description of Mr Kelada and the fact that from the beginning of the story he says that he was prepared to dislike Mr. Kelada even before he knew him, and that he didn't like Kelada's name, the look of his luggage or his toiletries, we can infer that our narrator is a snob racist and prejudice.

From the repeating pattern of Mr. Kelada's behaviour and the Narrator repeatedly saying that he didn't like Mr. Kelada, and the fact that on board he is called "Mr. Know-all" we can infer that Mr. Kelada is a negative person and we readers also don't like him.

• Literary Terms:

Connotation (see p. 24) – Knowing the narrator's views of Kelada, we can conclude that the words "Mr Know-all” have a negative connotation.

Stereotypes (see p. 24) - The narrator is presented as a typical upper class Englishman. He wants to be addressed with mister in front of his name. He likes formality, He is snobbish.

Max Kelada is presented as a typical Levantine (Middle Eastern). In the beginning he appears to be an insensitive person who interferes in other people's lives. He is informal, loud, dogmatic and a know all.