Short Story:- Quality by John Galsworthy

'Quality' by John Galsworthy

Short story Quality by John Galsworthy The narrator has been acquainted with the Gessler brothers from the time of his youth, for his father was a patron of the shoemakers. The two brothers occupied a no-frills store in the once fashionable West End area. It was a simple store without any great signage or advertising, and they only took custom orders – making unique boots according to each client’s feet. Their storefront was humble, displaying only a few pairs of boots as if to declare to the world that they did not subscribe to mass production. As the narrator grows older, he realizes that the Gessler brothers were not just shoemakers but expert craftsmen and that their shoes were nothing short of a work of art.

While describing the younger Gessler brother, the narrator said that his yellow face and the neat folds of skin slanting down his cheek, along with his sardonic voice, made it seem as if he were himself made of leather. His brother looked just like him, only paler. The narrator then describes how entering the Gessler brother’s shop was akin to entering a church, where the client had to wait patiently on a wooden chair for the masters to do their work. Boots would be ordered, the foot size would be carefully measured and gleaned through touch, and then the client would be shown the leather piece that would go into the making of a perfectly fitted boot.

On one memorable visit, the narrator complained to the younger Gessler brother that his boots had creaked. This complaint bewildered the skilled craftsman as if it were impossible for any of his products to have imperfections. However, with great ingenuity, Mr. Gessler asked the narrator to send back the shoes for repair, failing which he said he’d refund the amount charged.

Another memorable visit of the narrator was when he entered the shop wearing boots purchased by one of the more prominent companies. During this visit, the narrator got to know about Mr. Gessler’s contempt for the larger boot-making companies that did away with the craftsmanship of the trade, in the name of mass production, trading quality with an array of advertising gimmicks to win clients. During this meeting, the narrator became aware of the Gessler brother’s travails of sustaining a small bespoke business of handmade artisanal boots when the more prominent companies were luring away their clients on the dint of shallow advertising. The ice-cold contempt in Mr. Gessler’s voice made the narrator order multiple pairs of boots, so much so that he had no occasion to visit their store for the next two years.

After two years, the narrator goes back to the store and finds that another company had occupied one-half of the store. The narrator later learns that this downsizing had to happen because running the shop was turning out to be too expensive. The next time the narrator goes to the shop, an older-looking Mr. Gessler informs him that, unable to handle the losses their business was incurring, the elder brother had died. The ordered boots took a long time to come this time, but their quality was better than before.

After a year, the narrator visited the Gessler shop to find that Mr. Gessler had aged rapidly, looking frail. However, despite the aging, the man still knew his trade well and went about the task of measuring the narrator’s foot for a fresh piece. This time the boots took even longer to come, but their quality was better than ever.

A week later, the narrator decided to visit Mr. Gessler to compliment him on how wonderful his latest set of boots had turned out. However, upon reaching the store, the narrator was bewildered to see that some other company had occupied the store of the Gessler brothers. The new owner tried to assure the narrator that they were equipped to offer him any boots he wanted, but the narrator insisted on knowing what had happened to Mr. Gessler. Upon further inquiry, the narrator found out that Mr. Gessler had died of slow starvation. The new company owner disclosed to the narrator how Mr. Gessler barely did anything apart from making boots, not even setting aside time to eat. All his money went into rent and to purchase fine leather, leaving very little for basic sustenance. It was tough business conditions that had finally drawn the life out of Mr. Gessler – an expert craftsman of boots. Both men agreed that Mr. Gessler was one of a kind when it came to boot-making artistry. And the narrator left the store deeply saddened by the loss of such a great individual, who strived for quality when the world was scrambling for profits and gains.