Ajax, for example — A Closer Reading

A Narrator Who Digresses

Ike, the first-person narrator, does not simply report events; he editorializes constantly. His opening rant against book learning is not a one-off but a pattern: he interrupts the story to explain why he agrees with Magpie, to describe Ajax from head to foot, and to comment on the absurdity of the situations. This digressive style invites the reader to enjoy the narrator's personality as much as the plot. Notice how Ike frames the arrival of Ajax: "I'll begin at the top and work on down." He then spends several paragraphs on the man's hat, hair, spectacles, nose, chin, neck, shoulders, and clothing before any action occurs. The humor depends on the reader's willingness to follow these tangents.

Physical Comedy and Misunderstanding

The excerpts show a pattern of escalating physical chaos rooted in miscommunication. When the sheriff, Scenery, arrives and tries to arrest the cowboys, Magpie throws him out the door just as Ajax is entering. The two collide: "When an irresistible jackass meets an immovable educated fool there is something going on." The fight that follows is described in a flurry of hoofs, boots, and dust. Later, Ajax seems unaware that he fought at all, asking, "Did I—I fight a man?" and speculating that he was attacked by "a specimen of the genus Ovius" (sheep). This gap between Ajax's academic interpretation and the cowboys' practical reality drives the comedy.

The Scientist's Literal Mind

Ajax's dialogue reveals a man who processes the world through definitions and classifications. When Magpie asks if he knows who knocked Scenery into the cabin, Ajax responds by defining "scenery" as "the general aspect, as regards variety or beauty, or the reverse, of a landscape." He later describes a near-miss from a bullet as a "singing noise" and speculates that the shooter said "Pshaw! Missed entirely!" and "I should have had higher aspirations." These quotations, though brief, show Ajax applying a detached, analytical vocabulary to violent events. The cowboys' exasperation—Ike grabs Magpie to prevent an attack—underscores the cultural clash.

Voice and Vernacular

The narrative voice is rich with colloquialisms and inventive similes. Ike describes Ajax's nose as so long that "it must blow about the same note as the stopped-down E string on a fiddle." He says the man's chin is so long that "the weight of it holds his mouth open." The dialogue is peppered with exclamations like "Zowie!" and "whooee!" and contractions such as "ain't" and "daw-gonned." This vernacular style is consistent and carefully crafted, giving the story a distinct oral quality. Readers should listen for the rhythm of Ike's speech, which often loops back on itself, as when he says, "Me and you both know that there's educated fools."

As you read, pay attention to how the narrator's digressions and the characters' conflicting worldviews build the comedy. The excerpts suggest a story that moves from one misunderstanding to the next, with Ajax's literal-mindedness and the cowboys' practical humor creating a pattern of physical and verbal slapstick. The short length—around 12,000 words—means the humor is concentrated, so each scene rewards close attention to the language and the characters' reactions.

There’s a particular ache in watching Ajax’s logic bump against Ike and Magpie’s world, a loneliness that lingers after the laughter. It reminds me of the quieter ache I felt with The Indian queen — Reading Companion, where a different kind of distance sits between people who mean well. Sometimes the funniest stories leave the saddest echo, don’t they? Just a thought that stayed with me.