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Stephen Leacock is often called the Canadian Mark Twain, and I can see why. Both dabble heavily in satire and irony, though if I had to pick a favorite out of the two, Twain holds the crown for now. Yes, I know, how un-Canadian of me. In my defense, my Leacock exposure has been pretty limited. Aside from reading a few selections from Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town back in undergrad (which, was over 20 years ago and my memory is a bit hazy), I really haven’t read much of his work. I think they were funny? Let’s just say this revisit feels overdue.
My Financial Career is a pure comedic farce, turning a simple bank visit into a full-blown panic attack. The narrator, overwhelmed by the sheer presence of financial professionals, fumbles his way through opening an account with the confidence of a deer on ice. At one point he's so flustered that he's oblivious to the surroundings and steps into the safe. His anxiety snowballs as he miscommunicates with the manager, awkwardly deposits a paltry sum, then immediately withdraws it. Ironically, this defeats the entire purpose of his visit. It's all very silly and over-the-top, which makes for a few good laughs. It's not gut-busting hilarious or anything but the ironic humor is positively droll.
Leacock’s dry, exaggerated tomfoolery captures the universal dread of dealing with banks (or any serious institution, really). The story thrives on its protagonist’s exaggerated self-consciousness, making even the act of walking into a bank feel like storming enemy territory while blindfolded. This is a super quick read, reminding us that sometimes, our biggest obstacles are entirely in our own heads.
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