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Mr. Know All – Basic Understanding “Mr. Know All” by W. Somerset Maugham is a short story of simple facts, but with a deeper meaning below the surface. In fact, the story is a fantastic story about prejudice, racism and how what appears to be true, at times is just an illusion. Basic terms and concepts: Prejudice – unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group. Racism – the belief that some people are superior and others are inferior based on racial, religious or national group. Stereotype – a widely held, but fixed and oversimplified image or idea, of a particular type of person. (examples: Iranians are stingy; Moroccans have bad tempers) Setting and its significance: The story takes place after World War I on a boat traveling from San Francisco in the United States to Yokohama in Japan. The story takes place in “international waters.” This is significant for two reasons: 

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By taking place in international waters, and not in a given country, the writer is saying that prejudice is an international problem, and not a problem of any given place. The writer is saying that prejudice and racism are human traits and not the traits of any given culture. The ship becomes the symbol of the world with people who are prejudiced and even racists. Although the characters are far from their native societies, they still bring with them their racial and cultural prejudices and stereotypes.

Time – The story takes place shortly after World War I. It is mentioned for two reasons: 

It justifies the accidental meeting in the same cabin of the narrator and Mr. Kelada. The passenger traffic on the ocean-liners was heavy, so the narrator had to agree to share a cabin with a person he didn’t know at the beginning, and disliked just because of his name.

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It gives us a possible reason for the narrator’s unjustified antagonism towards Mr. Kelada. Usually, during periods of war, feelings of prejudice and dislike for foreigners grow stronger.

Part One: In part one, we are introduced to our narrator (the person who tells the story). We are led to believe that our narrator, who is English, considers himself to be a gentleman. He considers his “breeding” to be superior to non-white English citizens from the colonies held by England during this period in history. From the beginning of the story, we are told that our narrator was a highly prejudiced man who was willing to dislike Max Kelada, his cabin-mate on the boat, even before he met him. There are several symbols that represent the author’s attitude towards prejudice: 

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The closed portholes – these represent the close-mindedness of the narrator towards people from other societies. While the narrator is willing to believe that closed portholes (close-mindedness) are the fault of his cabin-mate, he is in fact to be blamed for this. People who are prejudice tend to blame the targets of the prejudiced feelings, while failing to look at their inner-darkness (the closed portholes posed a problem at night). The cabin – On a boat people live in confined quarters (‫)מגורים צפופים‬. The small living area represents the closed (small) mindedness that our narrator has when it comes to people of different backgrounds than his. The labels on the suitcase – While the labels on Mr. Kelada’s suitcases tell us that our main character travels a lot, the labels also represent the labels (‫)תוויות‬ that prejudiced people place on other people for no good reason. The suitcases – These represent “the baggage” that people who seek to acclimate (‫ )להסתגל‬into another culture carry with them. This baggage includes attitudes, behaviors and traditions that must be discarded to become accepted into closed-minded societies that demand uniformity (‫)אחידות‬. The large trunk, the toilet goods of Monsieur Coty, Max’s ebony brushes with monograms – These are all items that belong to Mr. Kelada. They seem to point to a cultured man with proper economic standing (‫)מעמד כלכלי‬. However, our narrator uses them to justify his prejudiced feelings regarding Mr. Kelada. We can understand that the writer is making a very important point: No matter what the target of racial aggression (‫ )תוקפנות גזענית‬does, the aggressor (‫ )תוקפן‬will always look to find fault in the victim.

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A lack of a name for the narrator – We are not given a name for the narrator. The author is telling us that the name of the narrator is not important because we all are the narrator, with closed mindedness about those who are different from us.

Once the narrator voices (‫ )משמיע‬his dislike for Mr. Kelada, he leaves the cabin to play solitaire on the boat and is approached by Mr. Kelada. When Mr. Keleda introduces himself to the narrator, Mr. Kelada is described as having, “a row of flashing teeth.” White teeth should be a sign of good hygiene (‫)היגיינה‬, but our narrator uses them to make Mr. Kelada have a sinister ) ‫ )מרושע‬look. Again, the racist is quick to grab hold of any attribute of the targeted (‫ )מיועדת‬population to justify his attitude, even if the interpretation (‫ )פרשנות‬the attribute (‫ )תכונה‬is presented in a twisted manner (‫)בצורה מעוותת‬. When Mr. Kelada tells the narrator that he is an English citizen, the narrator is quite surprised. While he must accept the fact that Mr. Kelada is a British citizen by law, because he has a passport, he does not accept him as a true Englishman being worthy of being called a gentleman, and certainly not as someone equal to himself. In fact, Mr. Kelada is a Levantine. A Levantine is someone who comes from Levant, the former name for the geographical area of the eastern Mediterranean that is now occupied by Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Mr. Kaleda is presented with all the typical stereotypes of a person from the Middle East. He is portrayed as an informal, loud, dogmatic and pushy person who cannot help but interfere in the lives of other people. Yet, our narrator does not openly treat Mr. Kelada as different, although he appears to slightly show his surprise that Mr. Kelada is indeed a British citizen. What our author is telling us is that not all racists and bigots (‫ )גזענים‬actively participate in acts of open racism. They carefully conceal (‫ )מסתירים‬their feelings (perhaps because they know that such attitudes are not socially acceptable – despite being common- ‫)נפוץ‬, but this does not mean they are any less racist. Our author goes even a step further in establishing (‫ )לבסס‬the racist hypocrisy (‫ )צביעות‬of the narrator. When Mr. Kelada offers our narrator an alcoholic beverage (which was illegal in this era (‫ )תקופה‬in the United States, and on ships leaving US ports), the narrator quickly accepts and takes advantage of Mr. Kelada’s stock of alcohol. This is symbolic of the hypocrisy of racists who pretend to be friendly to those who suffer from prejudice and bigotry (‫)גזענות‬, but indeed share the same feelings as those who detest (‫ )שונאים‬them. In fact, they are even willing to use the resources (‫ )משאבים‬of those they consider inferior (‫ )נחות‬when it suits their personal interests.

But our author (‫ )סופר‬is not without criticism of Mr. Kelada. Mr. Kelada, despite being a well-travelled (‫ )טייל הרבה‬man, and apparently cultured (‫)מתורבת‬, ignores the cultural norms (‫ )נורמות תרבותיות‬of the narrator and acts in a manner that brings ill feelings upon himself (‫)שגורם לאנשים לא לחבב אותו‬:    

He talks too much. He acts with ill manners when he doesn’t use the term “Mister” to address the narrator as is expected between two total strangers. He interferes(‫ )מתערב‬in the narrator’s solitaire card game. He reserves (‫ )שומר‬a seat for the narrator in the dining hall without permission.

It appears that Mr. Kelada does not have evil intentions (‫)כוונות רעות‬. But in his desire to gain acceptance, he oversteps the accepted social boundaries (‫)גבולות המקובלות בחברה‬. The writer is indeed warning those who suffer from prejudice and racism not to overstep (‫ )לעבור‬socially acceptable boundaries if they seek (‫ )מחפשים‬to be accepted. He is also telling minorities (‫ )מיעוטים‬that they must adapt to the acceptable social codes (‫ )כללים חברתיים‬of the dominate population (‫ )אוכלוסיית השולטת‬if they seek (‫ )מחפשים‬to have a chance of being truly accepted. Part Two: In part two of the story, we learn that Mr. Kelada took upon himself to arrange all the social affairs of the cruise. While Mr. Kelada appears to think that his efforts are appreciated, the narrator is quick to point out that: “He was certainly the best hated man on the ship.” The passengers called him “Mr. Know All” to his face. While this is clearly an insult (‫)עלבון‬, Mr. Kelada takes it as a compliment. He earned the nickname because he would argue any point, even the smallest of points, until he had won the argument. Undoubtedly, many of Mr. Know All’s “victories” (‫ )נצחונות‬came as a result of his ability to wear-down (‫ )להתיש‬his partner in debate (‫)ויכוח‬. It appears that Mr. Kelada’s annoying habits are not motivated by ill-will (‫)רצון רע‬, but by cultural codes which are unacceptable to our narrator who is a snobbish English gentleman (another stereotype). Yet, it is these mannerisms which prevent Mr. Kelada from assimilating fully (‫להיות חלק מ‬...) into English culture and being accepted as a true Englishman. Our author is making an important point about the difficulties of foreigners in becoming part of their newly adopted cultures. The only way Mr. Kelada will be able to become accepted as a true Englishman, is if he deserts (‫ )נוטש‬the ways of his

native culture and becomes someone who is really isn’t – a heavy price that requires him to give up (‫ )לוותר על‬his cultural identity (‫)זהות תרבותית‬. Our narrator tells us that while being around Mr. Kaleda was an unpleasant experience during the course of the day, it was the meal times that were the worst because the diners were a captive audience (‫ )קהל שבוי‬and could not just get up and leave the table for this would be poor manners. Despite being a clear annoyance, it is obvious that Mr. Kelada has gained a place of respectable status on the ship. This we can see from the fact that he arranges for himself to sit at the table of the ship’s doctor. The ship’s doctor, in the era in which the story was written, played a key social and professional role on the ship. The high status of sitting at the doctor’s table is reinforced (‫ )מחוזק‬by the fact that another cruise-goer who joins the doctor’s table is an American diplomat, Mr. Ramsey. Mr. Ramsey is quite annoyed at Mr. Kelada’s attitude that he is right about everything and picks arguments with Mr. Kelada. While we are not told so outright, (‫ )במישרין‬it appears that Mr. Ramsey’s problem with Mr. Know All’s attitude and selfconfidence is connected to his ethnic background. While Mr. Ramsey, has a certain social status as a member of the American Counselor Service, he is certainly not rich and has a quite neglected appearance, and is a heavy man who dresses poorly. This is in sharp contrast to the description of Mr. Kaleda who is well groomed (‫)מטופח היטב‬.Their physical contrast is an expression of their contrasting mental and cultural attitudes. We are also introduced to Mrs. Ramsey. Mrs. Ramsey is described as a simple person with a modest (‫ )צנוע‬personality and appearance. Her modest demeanor ( ‫ )התנהגות‬is what makes her stand out. (“It shown in her like a flower on a coat.”). But we are soon to learn that appearances can be deceiving (‫)מטעה‬. Mrs. Ramsey is also described as a “very pretty little thing.” Her physical incompatibility (‫ )חוסר התאמה‬with her husband might represent their differences, which cause problems with their marriage. Part Three: This part of the story contains (‫ )מכיל‬the climax (‫ )שיא‬of the story. Mr. Ramsey decides to start an argument with Mr. Kaleda just for the fun of it. The argument centered on whether the development of artificial peals (‫ )פנינים מלכותיים‬would have a negative impact (‫ )השפעה שלילית‬on the price of the real pearls. This argument was

very heated, even more than past ones and Mr. Know All lost his temper (‫)איבד את העשתונות‬. Mr. Kaleda reveals (‫ )חושף‬for the first time the nature of his business and tells his captive audience at the table that he is travelling to Kobe, Japan to investigate the cultured (artificial) pearl business. Mr. Kaleda looks at Mrs. Ramsey, who is wearing a beautiful string of pearls ( ‫מחרוזת‬ ‫)של פנינים‬, and tells her that her necklace will maintain its value (‫ )לשמור ערכו‬despite the influx (‫ )חדירה‬of cultured pearls in the marketplace. In essence, he is saying that Mrs. Ramsey’s pearls are real. However, Mr. Ramsey quickly asks Mr. Know All how much the pearls cost. Mr. Kelada estimates their price at between 15,000 to 30,000 dollars. Mr. Ramsey quickly says that the pearls are artificial and cost 18 dollars. Mr.Kelada is shocked and tells Mr. Ramsey that the pearls are real. Mr. Ramsey quickly takes the opportunity to make a few extra dollars and offers a $100 wager to Mr. Kelada regarding the authenticity of Mrs. Ramsey’s pearls. Despite the fact that Mr. Kelada has an obvious conflict of interest, Mr. Ramsey agrees to let Mr. Kelada judge the authenticity of the pearls. Again, despite having an obvious negative opinion of Mr. Kelada, a member of the “better race” is willing to make use of the “inferior race’s” abilities (this time, his expertise - ‫)מומחיות‬. However, Mrs. Ramsey tries to convince her husband to call off (‫ )לבטל‬the bet. She claims it is not fair to bet on something that is known absolutely. When she realizes that this is not going to prevent the bet, she pretends to be unable to take off the pearls so that Mr. Kelada can examine their authenticity. Despite the fact that it is obvious to all that Mrs. Ramsey is uncomfortable with the bet, Mr. Ramsey is persistent and takes the string of pearls off of his wife and hands them to Mr. Kaleda. Just when Mr. Kelada is about to announce that the pearls are real, he catches sight of Mrs. Ramsey’s face which has turned pale. He decides to announce to the people at the table that he was wrong and that the pearls are fake. The irony of this is that Mr. Kelada who apparently (‫ )כנראה‬lacks sensitivity (‫ )רגישות‬to other people, is sensitive to Mrs. Ramsey more than her husband is. But it is the price that Mr. Kaleda is willing to pay that is most surprising. Mr. Kaleda takes pride in being correct all the time and he allowed himself to be “caught” being wrong even though he was correct about the pearls. Add to this that he was willing to lose a $100 bet (a considerable – ‫ נכבד‬amount of money at the time the story was written), and the sacrifice (‫ )הקרבה‬that Mr. Know All has made becomes all too clear.

The story spreads (‫ )מתפשט‬all over the ship and Mr. Kaleda becomes the subject ridicule (‫)נושא לצחוק או להקטנה‬. The next morning, an envelope with a $100 note is placed under the door of the cabin in which our narrator and Mr. Kaleda live. At this point, it becomes obvious (‫ )ברור‬to our narrator that Mr. Know All was correct about the pearls being authentic. Apparently, Mrs. Ramsey received the pearls from a secret lover in New York while her husband had been in Kobe during the previous year. It was at that moment that our narrator is able to connect to the human quality of compassion (‫ )חמלה‬that Mr. Kaleda possesses, and his dislike of Mr. Know All decreases (‫)פוחת‬. The author is making a very important point. He is saying that if we look beyond (‫מעבר ל‬...) race, ethnicity (‫ )לאום‬and cultural issues, and look at human qualities, we will be able to like those who are even quite different from us. Who returned the money? It is assumed (‫ ) אפשר לשער‬that Mrs. Ramsey returned the envelope with the $100 bill in order to make up for causing Mr. Kaleda to look bad. Also, despite her faults, she is not willing to keep money that does not belong to her. The Pearls: One major point that must be addressed (‫ )חייבים לדון בו‬is the importance of the pearls. First of all, in Christian culture, pearls are associated with purity – as in the pearly gates of Heaven. Mrs. Ramsey, the owner of the pearls, is described as having godly attributes such as modesty. However, we soon realize that she only seems to have wonderful traits (‫ )תכונות‬and is indeed an adulterer (‫)נואפת‬. Adultery is considered in Christian society a grave sin (‫)חטא חמור‬. The “holy” figure of Mrs. Ramsey is revealed (‫ )נחשפת‬to be a sinner (‫ )חוטאת‬of the worst type. The pearls themselves appear to be fake, and such are perceived by the ship’s passengers; but in fact, they are real. This is quite the opposite of Mrs. Ramsey in that the pearls seem to have no value, but in reality are very valuable. Mr. Know All is portrayed as not being correct about the pearls; and thus (‫)לפיכך‬, is a fake Mr. Know All – at least in the eyes of the ship’s passengers. However, he is indeed correct and is a real Mr. Know All. The author is putting forward a very important message: Looks can be deceiving. ( ‫)המראה החיצוני וראשוני עלול לרמות‬.He is warning us against judging people according to stereotypes and preconceived prejudices (‫)דעות קדומות‬. Maugham urges us to have open minds and to be willing to change our minds about our preconceived notions, just as our narrator does regarding Mr. Know All at the end of the story.

This story exhibits (‫ )מראה‬the fact that first impressions (‫ )רושם ראשוני‬can be misleading (‫ )מטעה‬and that first appearances are often wrong. THE NARRATION - point of view The story is told in the first person – the narrator sees everything and is a part of the plot. However, just like our other characters, the narrator goes through several stages of development. In the first episode, where he meets with Mr. Kelada, the narrator is more active, and involved. He observes (‫ )צופה‬comments (‫ )מעיר‬and judges Mr. Kelada as he sees him through his own eyes. Since he is influenced by his prejudiced British society, his judgments are subjective (‫)אישי‬. In the second episode, involving the necklace examination, the narrator is less involved. He is like a cameraman who takes photos and writes down what he hears objectively. After the chain examination is over, the narrator becomes subjective again. In the last episode, the narrator discovers Mr. Kelada’s true character. As a result, he undergoes a change (‫ – )עובר שינוי‬he realizes that people should not be judged by their looks, but by their actions and character.