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The Chaser
The old man in the story uses the terms "glove cleaner" and "life cleaner" as euphemisms. Obviously, he doesn't want to use the word "poison" too openly, so he uses circumlocutions to hint to his...
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The Chaser
The term "chaser," as used by drinkers, is getting to be somewhat outdated. It means a drink of something bland or sweet to follow-up a straight shot of something like whiskey, gin, rum, or...
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The Chaser
The old man who sells potions seems to have a very casual attitude about business. He does not seem especially concerned about making money, although he probably makes plenty of money in the long...
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The Chaser
In the story, a particular line from the text explains how the old man knows Alan's name: An old man sat in the rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had...
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The Chaser
The quote you're referencing is a line in John Collier's short story, The Chaser. The story is about a young man named Alan who meets with a mysterious old man in order to buy a love potion that...
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The Chaser
The old man in the story is in a criminal business and has to keep a low profile. This explains why he has such a nondescript and out-of-the-way establishment and why customers can only come to him...
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The Chaser
The author probably had at least two reasons for not assigning a name to the old man. One was that the old man was engaged in an illegal business and probably preferred to remain anonymous. There...
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The Chaser
A chaser is a drink of something that usually follows a straight shot of whiskey, gin, tequila, or some other strong liquor. The chaser may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. A lot of men like a shot...
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The Chaser
Alan does not say exactly what he wants at first, although it becomes obvious that he is in love and wants a love potion. He is pursuing a girl appropriately named Diana (after the virgin Greek...
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The Chaser
Yes and no. The trouble with idealized romantic love is that it doesn't last. That is precisely what the story is all about. That sort of love, including the physical part of it, is very appealing...
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The Chaser
The entire story takes place in a single room. It might seem that in this particular story John Collier is trying to adhere to the Aristotelian unities of time, place, and action. The time is the...
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The Chaser
The old man is operating an illegal business in a run-down building in New York. He does not advertise and obviously keeps a low profile. He depends for customers on recommendations of others who...
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The Chaser
In the story “The Chaser” by British writer John Collier one thing that makes the story sound realistic is the vivid description of the setting of the story. For example, right in the opening...
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The Chaser
The mood of the story is one of surrealism and black humor. Here is an old man selling love potions and undetectable poisons in the wide open in a shop in modern Manhattan. He must be well known...
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The Chaser
John Collier had a negative attitude about marriage. His story "The Chaser" is only concerned with marital relationships. The old man who sells the lovesick, impetuous Alan Austen the potion he...
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The Chaser
The Chaser is a curious story; quite sad really. Marriage is the bane of many jokes and no longer preferred by most young people. They do not feel that it is an expression of "real" love but more...
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The Chaser
"The Chaser," like many of John Collier's stories, is an example of metafiction (see the reference link below). The story is not intended to be taken too seriously, although the underlying message...
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The Chaser
"The Chaser" is told from a third-person objective point of view. The narrator is not omniscient but only reports what can be seen and heard in the single setting, a little shop in a big modern...
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The Chaser
Mr. Austin is visiting the shop because he has heard that the proprietor sells love potions. Austin is desperate. He is madly in love with a beautiful young woman, but she does not love him. His...
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The Chaser
Yes, I suppose one might say that the antagonist is the young woman with whom the protagonist Alan Austen is in love. She does not appear in the story, but her importance is obvious. He loves her...
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The Chaser
The irony in “The Chaser” is that the young man comes looking for a love potion, but will be looking for a death potion later. Irony is when something unexpected happens. In this story, the...
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The Chaser
The conflict in "The Chaser" is not dramatized or described in the story. It is not an internal conflict of Alan Austen's. There is no conflict between him and the old man either. The conflict is a...
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The Chaser
John Collier was a famous writer and "The Chaser" is one of his best stories. You can find ample coverage on "The Chaser" by clicking on the links below. I have changed your topic to "The Chaser"...
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The Chaser
The meaning of the title "The Chaser" is very simple, although the term "chaser" may not be as commonly used as it was when John Collier wrote his story. A chaser is a drink that is taken to follow...
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The Chaser
John Collier had a sour attitude toward marriage. "The Chaser" is one of his surrealistic short stories in which something fantastic happens in a mundane setting. The protagonist is madly in love...
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The Chaser
The story is written in such a way that much of the action occurs "offstage," so to speak, and can only be imagined by the reader based on the behavior of Alan Austen and the words of the...
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The Chaser
What the old man is selling Austen is quite obviously a poison which Austen will use to kill his wife. The old man never says explicitly what the substance is. This is understandable, since he...
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The Chaser
Alan Austin is a young man who has fallen in love for the first time. He thinks the woman he loves--but who does not yet love him--is an angel, a dream, the answer to all life's problems. He does...
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The Chaser
In every story, the rising action includes the events that take place in between the inciting incident and the climax. In this short story, it is important to understand what the inciting incident...
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The Chaser
The title of John Collier's short story has probably confused some contemporary readers because the term "chaser" is not nearly as familiar today as it was when Collier published "The Chaser" in...
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The Chaser
I suppose a basic question would be "What is the meaning of the title 'The Chaser?'" It does not have anything to do with a man chasing a woman. Another level-one question might be: "Why is the...
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The Chaser
A lot of younger people do not seem to understand why the story is called "The Chaser." The meaning of the title "The Chaser" is very simple, although the term "chaser" may not be as commonly used...
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The Chaser
When you ask for level two and three, I think you are asking for questions that are beyond recall or simple comprehension. Here are some questions I would ask: How does the reader know that Alan is...
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The Chaser
Possible themes of "The Chaser" could be love vs. lust, infatuation, or the illusive power of love. When Alan falls for Diana at some time before the story begins, he falls hard. He wants nothing...
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The Chaser
Here is the piece of text to which you refer. Let's look at it in context: "Call it a glove-cleaner if you like," said the old man indifferently. "Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried....
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The Chaser
One important detail in "The Chaser" is the suggestion that it is possible to obtain a potion that will make one person fall madly in love with another. A second important detail is the suggestion...
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The Chaser
The word "chaser" has multiple meanings, and interestingly enough, each of them can be related to the story in different ways. The most obvious meaning of the word is "one who pursues". This can...
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The Chaser
There is no difference between glove-cleaner and life-cleaner. Like the term "the chaser," these are all euphemisms for a poison the old man is selling to customers who have bought his love potion...
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The Chaser
Alan Austin is pretty shallow, and so does not change much during the story itself. However, the old man's perspective indicates that he will change—but that he (Alan) doesn't know it yet....