I'm a Fool story

theamericanshortstory06 · 1977-04-05

A young horse trainer learns the hard way that telling a whopper of a lie is probably not the best way to win over the girl you fancy. It is based on the 1923 Sherwood Anderson short story of the same name.

17 total · 5 major · 12 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
coming of age major Andy went from being a young, bashful, and sexually inexperienced horse trainer to being a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking son of a gun, a man of the world and about town if you will, who was not above wooing girls at the horse races with lies of importance and wealth.
growing as a person major The story culminates with Andy realizing he was a fool for having tried to woo his love interest, Lucy, with lies of importance and wealth.
lying major Andy told a whopper of a lie to woo his love interest, and ultimately came to regret it.
mentor and protégé major Burt taught Andy the ins and outs of training race horses.
romantic love major Andy was smitten by Lucy, and Lucy was head over heels for the man who Andy feigned to be. Andy waxed poetic about how he wanted his first time to be with a princess.
brother and sister minor Lucy West accompanied Henry and Eleanor to the race track.
childishness minor Andy was rude to the cigar lady and the bartender, and his bellicose demeanor when ordering drinks and cigar purchases made him seem less than gentlemanly.
engaged couple minor Henry and Eleanor were an agreeable couple who seemed pleased that Lucy had a suitor.
friendship minor Andy encouraged a drunken Burt to pursue his dream of being a jockey after practice one day. Burt gave Andy a great deal of useful life advice in a sometimes gruff, sometimes jolly manner.
gambling minor Andy and his new friends bet a lot of money on Andy's horse and won big.