Says O'Sullivan to me, "Mr. Fay, I'll have a word wid yeh?" "Certainly, " says I; "what can I do for you?" "Sell me your sea- boots, Mr. Fay, " says O'Sullivan, polite as can be. "But what will you be wantin' of them?" says I. "'Twill be a great favour, " says O'Sullivan. "But it's my only pair, " says I; "and you have a pair of your own, " says I. "Mr. Fay, I'll be needin' me own in bad weather, " says O'Sullivan. "Besides, " says I, "you have no money." "I'll pay for them when we pay off in Seattle, " says O'Sullivan. "I'll not do it, " says I; "besides, you're not tellin' me what you'll be doin' with them." "But I will tell yeh, " says O'Sullivan; "I'm wantin' to throw 'em over the side." And with that I turns to walk away, but O'Sullivan says, very polite and seducin'-like, still a-stroppin' the razor, "Mr. Fay, " says he, "will you kindly step this way an' have your throat cut?" And with that I knew my life was in danger, and I have come to make report to you, sir, that the man is a violent lunatic. Jack London
About This Quote

The narrator of this piece is a sailor. He has told his shipmates about a long-standing feud between himself and another sailor, O'Sullivan. The narrator's shipmates are confused by his story, but are sympathetic to his plight nonetheless. The narrator laments that he will lose his only pair of sea boots if O'Sullivan kills him, but the narrator also admits that he is not telling them why he must die.

The narrator's closing statement suggests that O'Sullivan is crazy. Thus, the story is an example of the unreliable narrator style of fiction.

Source: The Mutiny Of The Elsinore

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