The Luncheon Summary

Introduction

One of the most hysterically funny stories is called "The Luncheon." It tells the story of an appointment for lunch with a woman who enjoys Somerset Maugham's tales. She wins the author's favor by expressing her eagerness to meet him at the upscale restaurant Foyot. With a dash of comedy, the author uncovers the false justifications behind the middle class' moderate eating habits in the novel.

About The Author

William Somerset Maugham was an English author who wrote plays, novels, and short stories. He lived from 25 January 1874 to 16 December 1965. Maugham attended a German university after finishing his education in England. He was born in Paris and lived there for his first 10 years. In London, he enrolled as a medical student, and in 1897, he earned his medical degree. He stopped practicing medicine and switched to writing full-time. Though Liza of Lambeth (1897), his debut book and an examination of life in the slums, garnered attention, he first rose to national fame as a playwright. By 1908, he has four plays running concurrently in London's West End. In 1933, he finished writing his 32nd and final play. Thereafter, he gave up writing plays and focused on writing novels and short tales. shortly after the end of the Second World War, Maugham stopped publishing novels, and his final years were blighted by senility. He passed away at 91 years old.

Theme Of the Novel

The story's central theme is greed. As a struggling writer in need of support, the unidentified narrator is a gluttonous admirer of attention. So, even though he has just 80 francs to last him for the entire month, he seizes the chance to eat with a woman who seems interested in his job. Even when, like on this particular occasion, he is a little financially humiliated, the guy is expected to pay the bill for lunch according to the social norms of the day.

However, the author is so desperate for literary success that he accepts to take the chance of finding up in the cooking area of this upscale restaurant washing dishes.

His lunch companion is also greedy, of course, and in a much more common way. The lady proceeds to scarf down everything on the menu despite claiming that she hardly eats anything herself. Both the narrator and his lunch guest pay for their greed: the struggling writer ends up completely broke for that month, and the lady eventually tips the scales at twenty-one stone or 294 pounds.

Summary Of the Novel

When a woman who appreciated his poems visited him twenty years ago, the author was living in Paris. She once ran into him at a performance; more recently, she had read a book he had written and written a letter outlining her thoughts on it.

She published a further letter in which she discussed her intended trip to Paris and her desire to have a brief lunch at the Foyots, the eatery frequented by the French Congressmen. Willian, who was modest and not extremely wealthy and never thought about going to the restaurant, was unable to refuse the woman's request because of these factors.

Only eighty francs were all that the author had on hand, and that was only enough to see him through the month. He calculated the price of the meal with trepidation and predicted that it wouldn't go over fifteen Francs. He then decided to order less coffee to save money for the upcoming two weeks. According to the letter, the appointment with the lady was scheduled for Thursday at noon.

He first met the woman when she was in her forties, not particularly gorgeous, and spoke a lot. He had been reassured by her claim that she never partakes in luncheon fare. She did, however, choose salmon and caviar, whereas William ordered the mutton chops, which were the least expensive item on the menu. The woman made a reservation for white champagne after the meal and took pleasure in the luncheon and the conversation on music, literature, and the arts.

William was quite worried about the bill's size, which was greater than he had anticipated. She waved at the waiter as she placed the most costly food on the menu, which was the asparagus, on the invoice for the luncheon. William had to control his emotions even though this made his stomach turn and his mouth thirsty. She then placed a scoop of ice cream & coffee to further rub salt in his wound. She had previously stated that she would just eat a bite. William was thinking about how to make a show of his pickpocketing or how he was going to pay the bill.

Unluckily, the head waiter came up to their seat with a sizable bunch of fresh peaches. She took one of those, declaring that she must have a peach as she had just finished a snack. After paying the bill, William had no money left over for the rest of the month and only had three Francs to tip the waiter. Upon meeting the light luncheon eater twenty years later and learning that she weighs 130 kilograms, William concludes that he has exacted his retribution.

Conclusion

It is clear from the anecdote how the lady was self-centered. This is due to her declaration that she never eats anything for luncheon before the luncheon had started. Even though she had earlier said that she never ate more than one item for lunch, she afterwards bought the most costly foods on the menu.

She claims that "she doesn't eat too much," yet when it involves eating, she orders as though she were of greater social position and riches, something the reporter had to pay a high price for. This conflict extends beyond only her outward look.