Write the summary and explanation of the essay 'Tight Corner'.

Write the summary and explanation of the essay ‘Tight Corner’.

Ans.

Introduction: Some friends were talking about their difficult situations which they had once faced. They were narrating their experiences about their tight corners. When they could not decide what they should do then they were in a deep mental tension.

The entry of the person into the sale-room: Once a man was instigated by his friend to enter a sale-room of the Christie where paintings were being sold by auction. Though he had no money in his pocket, yet he thought of enjoying the fun. He saw that the bidding for paintings had started from low figures but gradually it rose very high. Out of fun he thought to make a bidding for a painting and withdraw when the bidding rose higher. Unfortunately the picture for which he bade his price four thousand fifty guineas had few bidders. Nobody came out with a higher price, so the auction price fell on him.

That man fell into a very tight-corner: He had to pay that heavy amount to take the painting home but he had no money in his pocket. In this way he fell into a very tight corner and suffered deep mental agony. His friend disappeared to save himself. He thought of his other friends and relatives to borrow money from them but they refused. He thought of some money landers but they could not meet his demand. He could not decide what to do to come out of the difficult situation.

His tight-corner proved a blessing in disguise for him: When there seems to be no solution in a difficult situation God suddenly comes for such help. It happens for good and honest persons. In his case, the same thing happened. A man sent him a message that he was ready to pay him his extra fifty guineas because he was interested to take the painting home. It was not only a great respite but also extra monetary gain. But see the greedy nature of a man that he replied to accept one hundred guineas to transfer his claim for the painting in his favour. That man agreed, so he got one hundred guineas for nothing. In this way his tight-corner proved a blessing in disguise for him.

Explanations

(1) But you all talk, said one of the company, as though tight corners were always physical affairs. Surely they can be tighter when they are mental ?

Reference to the Context: These lines are an extract from the first essay of this prose collection ‘Tight Corners’ written by E. V. Lucas. The writer in the company of some of his friends was discussing about tight corners or difficult situations. One friend said how he was caught in the rising tide in Brittany and escaped from there. Another was sitting on an elephant when a wounded tiger charged it. The third was saved from a burning house.

Explanation: One of the friends told others that all of them were describing their experiences of their difficult situations related to only physical experiences. They were related dangers to their life when they were involved in a tight-corner. He added that more difficult situations are those which are related to more complex problems and they need clever solution.

He added that the mental resources of a man help him to remove physical difficulties and dangers. When more complicated problems arise. the mental powers of a person are to be tested. Mental gifts are related to such qualities like the presence of mind as well as the spirit of courage to face all such difficulties. It is equally necessary that a person should remain cool and calm in the face of any such future danger. It is commonly seen that many persons who can take physical risks do not have the power to make mental adventures. According to the writer, the brave persons are those who have the combination of both physical and mental courage.

(2) The place was full. They were selling Barbizon pictures and getting tremendous sums for each: two thousand, three thousand, for little bits of things-forest scenes, pools at evening, shepherdesses, the regular subjects. Nothing went as low as three figures at all. Well, we watched for a little while and then I found myself bidding too just for fun.

Reference to the Context: These lines are an extract from the essay Tight-Corners written by E. V. Lucas. A man was lunching at a club in St. James’s Street with an old friend from abroad and he passed along King Street afterwards. His friend persuaded him to look into the sale-room.

Explanation: That sale-room was full of many persons who were selling Barbizon pictures and they were receiving a lot of money for each. picture. The sums of money were two thousand, three thousand only for those small pictures. Those pictures had on them forest scenes, the scenes of different pools at the time of evening. Some pictures had the scenes of shepherdesses as the regular subjects of all those pictures. No picture was sold lower than three figures at all. Just after, that man and his friend watched that scene of bidding for a short time. Soon after that man noted that, he himself had become the partner of bidding of one of the paintings also. He had become a bidder only out of fun because he was not at all serious to have that painting for himself. His intention was only to raise the bidding price of that painting.

(3) Although the previous lots had run into four figures they had all been modestly started at fifty guineas or a hundred guineas, with a gradual crescendo to which I had often been a safe contributor. But no sooner was the new picture displayed than the dealer made his sensational bid.

Reference to the Context: These lines are an extract from the essay. “Tight Corners’ written by E. V. Lucas. A man with his red face who was a famous dealer made the starting bid for that particular painting and everybody felt much surprised at his bidding.

Explanation: According to the writer that particular bid was different from those other bids which had been made earlier than that. It is true that many pictures had been auctioned into the sums running into four figures. Thousands of guineas had been paid for them but that stage had reached in a gradual manner.

It is true that the auction had started at a low and reasonable rate, so the writer also decided to take part in it because then he could be in a safe position. Then he could not run any risk for being the bidder of that painting. He had no fear of being in a tight-corner in the normal course of auction. Its reason was that the prices of bidding were rising up in a gradual manner.

Then the dealer announced the sum of four thousand guineas for the first bid which was certainly surprising because of being extraordinary. Many persons as customers who were present in the auction-room were highly surprised when that man had made his sensational bid.

(4) That was a nice pickle to be in ! Here was I, with sixty-three pounds in the world and not five hundred pounds’ worth of securities, the purchaser of a picture which I didn’t want, for four thousand and fifty guineas, the top price of the day.

Reference to the Context: These lines are an extract from the essay. ‘Tight Corners’ written by E. V. Lucas. In these lines the writer describes that tight corner in which he was fallen. He had taken part in the auction without having the necessary amount of money for that painting.

Explanation: Though he had only sixty-three pounds in his pocket and no other property which might help him to get a loan, yet he had bought a painting in that auction costing four thousand guineas. Secondly, it was the serious situation for him because of the fact that he had bought a painting for which he had no need, nor any utility.

The writer further says that if he had been a real art lover or fond of such painting, the Barbizon painting would have been of great importance for him but he had taken part in the auction only out of fun. With this reason he had repented on his folly. It was a serious matter for him that the picture was not of any material use for him. Its cost was four thousand and fifty guineas which had created a tight corner for him.