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Hernndez, Emmanuel

Monday, February 25, 2013.

Basic English 2 Section 2U1

Sour Chaser after a Mellow Concoction: The Confidence Trick in John Colliers The Chaser.

The Chaser is a short story written by John Collier. The story is set on New Yorks

Chinatown and it is about a young man called Alan Austen. This young fellow who is

desperately in love with a girl named Diana. She apparently does not notice him. This is the

reason why he is trying to buy a love potion from an old man in Chinatown.The old man

knowing beforehand Alans situation firstly offers him a potion that might be a poison with the

argument that often people may need a life-cleaner. Alan does not want the poison nor does

he have the money for it either. Then the old man offers him a love potion with all the hints

that he may want or need to buy the life-cleaner later on life. Alan, in his naivet, agrees to buy

the cheap love potion for a dollar.The story culminates with the profound words of the old

man farewell: Until we meet again. Therefore, we can assume that this story leaves an open

ending, so that the reader can form their own interpretation. This essay will argue that the old

man is conningAlan Austen when he sells him the love potion and so, in the future,

probably Alan might need to come back to buy a life-cleaner.

A chaser is a mild drink used after a strong one. The author uses the title of this short

story as an ironical metaphor. While a soft chaser often is drank after a harder drinkfor

example a swig of beer after a tequila shot- in this case, Collier suggests a hard chaser after a

softer drink: a lethal poison after an apparently harmless love potion. Thus creating this ironical

metaphor, this is the secret, which allows us to believe that Alan is being conned. Firstly, we

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must observe, the introductory sentence ofthe story: Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went

up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighbourhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long

time on the dim landing before he found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the

doors(Collier 137). This sentence gives us insight of a couple of facts we should not overlook:

Alan is nervous; also it tells us that he is ignorant and desperate enough to enter a shady

unknown place like this one. As the story goes on: He pushed open this door, as he been told to

do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a

rocking-chair and an ordinary chair (137); the description of the business place ensures us that it

is an illegal business conducted in that place because of the furniture, we can infer that the place

can be abandoned if necessary. Also this sentence gives us a clue of this meeting being

prearranged.

The fact that this meeting was concerted in advance is significantly important to support

this essays thesis. The reader can observe that the meeting was prearranged when the narrative

voice tells us: Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. Sit down, Mr.

Austen, said the old man very politely. I am glad to make your acquaintance. (137). From

this excerpt of the story we can deduce that this meeting was being held because a third party,

not mentioned on the story, prearranged it. This fact gives the upper hand to the old man,

because he already knows what Alan is looking for and also it gives him background information

on Alan, allowing him to know the weak points of Alans personality, which will allow him to

earn Alans trust. This is a con artistsmodus operandi, which essentially is a confidence trick.

By winning Alans trust, the old man, is able to sell him aproduct: in this case a love potion.

Afterwards, Alan will be already hooked for the scam. Therefore, this is evidence we can use

as an argument to imply that the old man is conning Alan. In other words, evidence, we can

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use to claim that Alan is being conned, are his ignorance and desperation. We must take in

Alans perception oflove, to comprehend his ignorance and desperation. For instance,

She will want to know all you do, said the old man. All that has happened to you

during the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about, why

you smile suddenly, why you are looking sad.

That is love! cried Alan (138).

This excerpt demonstrates that Alan is a young ignorant man who does not know what love is

nor what he wants. Also in his desperation he is willing to believe whatever the old man is

saying to him. These claims that the old man is stating can be true or false; however Alan

chooses to believe them. We can therefore assume that Alan will be deceived.

Consequently, after reviewing all of our evidence presented here, we can conclude that

the old man indeed conned Alan. To sustain our theory we might scrutinize the following

passages from the story. First, Please a customer with one article, and he will come backwhen

he needs another. Even if more costly. He will save up for it, if necessary. (138) and secondly,

Then customers come back, later in life, when they are better off, and wants more expensive

things.(139). In both passages, the old man, warns and gives the implication to Alan and the

reader that later on he will need to come back and buy the poison from him. Moreover, the story

ends with: Au revoir, said the old man.(139); which in French means Until we meet again.

From this last sentence we can establish that the old man was absolutely sure that Alan was

going to come back for the poison. Thereupon, after analyzing all these facts, in accordance with

The Chaser, we arrive at the conclusion that Alan was scammed by the con artist we only

know as the old man.

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Work Cited

Collier, John. The Chaser. Ed. Clara Costa. Reading &Thinking About Essays and

Short Stories. Mason, Ohio: Thomson, 2007.