Misanthropy And Egocentrism In The Five Forty Eight

In the captivating short story of The Five Forty Eight by John Cheever, a businessman named Blake leaves from work and notices that he is being followed. His former secretary, Miss Dent, manages to stalk him from the city to his train, despite his efforts of dodging her. The woman seeks revenge for his callous behavior that has damaged her emotionally and mentally. Throughout the story, readers are exposed to what is beneath Blake’s facade of superiority. Through the story’s setting, disposition of characters, and characters’ actions, The Five Forty Eight reveals the protagonist Blake’s misanthropical, egocentric character.

Readers get a glimpse of the protagonist’s egocentrism through his and Miss Dent’s actions. “He urged her to; that was, after all, what he had come for. … When he put on his clothes again, an hour or so later, she was weeping. He felt too contented and warm and sleepy to worry much about her tears” (371). …show more content…
The short story’s literary elements of a character’s disposition, setting, and characters’ actions are crucial for the exposition of the protagonist’s semblance of supremacy. According to Dictionary.com and many of those familiar with literature, the definition of a ‘protagonist’ is “the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.” Ironically, the main character in this story is the total opposite of the ideal protagonist. Readers initially develop pity for the protagonist who seems to have a perfect life of fortune and fulfillment, just until the story unfolds. The Five Forty Eight deceives readers only to brilliantly illustrate the protagonist’s dark side and true character of immorality. Ultimately, we as readers are given the significant notion that even those with the most charismatic, righteous character have their own side of obscenity - one that is possibly worse than