I'm looking for a book I read probably in high school or something. Don't remember the title, author, or any character names, but I remember some themes and details of the plot.
The main character is kind of a fool. I think the book started with him deciding he was gonna quit smoking cigars, but then he buys a cigar lighter for his car like the same day, and then spends pretty much all of his work day talking about the price with his coworkers to figure out whether he paid too much for it or got a good deal.
Social class is a major theme and a couple of the major scenes are dinner parties. For one party they're having over some low rent friends of theirs, who have been persistently trying to schedule the dinner while the main character and his wife have been moving the appointment around whenever something more important came up. When it finally happens, it ends up being a great party because they invite people they enjoy hanging out with because they don't really care about impressing their low rent guests.
The other party, they're having over some high class people they want to impress. They keep trying to schedule it but the high class people are always rescheduling. And then when it does happen they invite over people they think will impress the guests of honor, but it ends up being a really boring party and the main character's wife cries after everybody leaves.
Prohibition was another theme. They're always telling the same jokes about prohibition and making the same generalizations about how prohibition should really only be for the lower classes who can't control themselves, but not for them (even though they can't control themselves). Then one time the main character meets a really, really high class person, he tells the same stupid joke and the high class dude just kind of looks at him like he's stupid.
If you've read this book then by now you probably know which one it is. What is the title?
I'm looking for a book I read probably in high school or something. Don't remember the title, author, or any character names, but I remember some themes and details of the plot.
The main character is kind of a fool. I think the book started with him deciding he was gonna quit smoking cigars, but then he buys a cigar lighter for his car like the same day, and then spends pretty much all of his work day talking about the price with his coworkers to figure out whether he paid too much for it or got a good deal.
Social class is a major theme and a couple of the major scenes are dinner parties. For one party they're having over some low rent friends of theirs, who have been persistently trying to schedule the dinner while the main character and his wife have been moving the appointment around whenever something more important came up. When it finally happens, it ends up being a great party because they invite people they enjoy hanging out with because they don't really care about impressing their low rent guests.
The other party, they're having over some high class people they want to impress. They keep trying to schedule it but the high class people are always rescheduling. And then when it does happen they invite over people they think will impress the guests of honor, but it ends up being a really boring party and the main character's wife cries after everybody leaves.
Prohibition was another theme. They're always telling the same jokes about prohibition and making the same generalizations about how prohibition should really only be for the lower classes who can't control themselves, but not for them (even though they can't control themselves). Then one time the main character meets a really, really high class person, he tells the same stupid joke and the high class dude just kind of looks at him like he's stupid.
If you've read this book then by now you probably know which one it is. What is the title?
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