One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts by Shirley Jackson
"One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts" by Shirley Jackson is a short story that portrays a seemingly mundane yet richly layered exploration of human interactions and kindnesses. The narrative follows Mr. Johnson, who embarks on a cheerful walk through the city, engaging with various characters along the way. He demonstrates generosity by sharing peanuts and providing money to assist those in need, including a mother moving with her child and a young couple seeking an apartment. Each encounter reflects his spontaneous goodwill, contrasting sharply with the perspective of his wife, who has faced a more challenging day filled with conflict and dissatisfaction.
As Mr. Johnson navigates his day, his actions appear selfless, embodying a spirit of community and support. However, this cheerfulness ultimately serves to highlight the complexities of human behavior, as his wife's experiences illustrate a more critical view of societal interactions. The story delves into themes of altruism, perception, and the dichotomy between personal attitudes and public personas. Through its juxtaposition of Mr. Johnson's optimistic demeanor and his wife's troubled day, the narrative invites readers to reflect on the nature of kindness and the varying ways individuals experience the world around them.
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One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts by Shirley Jackson
First published: 1955
Type of plot: Fantasy
Time of work: The 1950's
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Mr. John Philip Johnson , a man who seems too good to be trueMrs. Johnson , his wifeA child The child's mother , who is moving to VermontMildred Kent , a chance acquaintance of Mr. JohnsonArthur Adams , a chance acquaintance of Mr. Johnson
The Story
John Philip Johnson comes down the steps from his house on a bright morning. His shoes have just been resoled, and his feet feel good. He smiles at everyone and greets the other customers at the newsstand where he stops to buy his newspaper. He has filled his pockets with candy and peanuts and, before he sets out for his walk uptown, he goes into a flower shop and buys a carnation for his buttonhole, but he immediately gives it to a child in a carriage.
Mr. Johnson seldom follows the same route twice. On this fine day, he walks several blocks uptown, then cuts across a side street. Halfway along it, a van is parked. A woman and her child are moving out of their apartment. The woman looks bedraggled, and Mr. Johnson offers to watch her child while she attends to the moving. He and the child get along well, sharing the peanuts in Mr. Johnson's pocket. Mr. Johnson learns that the two are moving to Greenwich, Vermont, and he gives them the name of a friend who lives there, telling the woman that the man will help her in any way he can when she arrives in Greenwich. She is grateful.
Continuing his walk, he meets a young woman, Mildred Kent. He talks with her and, when he realizes that he is making her late for work, insists on compensating her for her lost time. As she waits, he walks out onto the sidewalk and engages in conversation with a young man, Arthur Adams. He then introduces the two and gives them enough money to cover their day's wages. He encourages them to spend the day together doing something they want to do, such as going to Coney Island. He gives them money to cover their expenses.
Leaving them, he continues his walk. He gives a peanut to a man who is begging for money, wrapping the peanut in a dollar bill. He gives another peanut to a bus driver who is leaning out the window of his bus. The driver asks him whether he wants a transfer.
When he sees a young couple searching the classified advertisements looking for an apartment for rent, he tells them of the one that the woman and her child have just vacated. Then he lunches in a pleasant restaurant, eating two desserts, drinking three cups of coffee, and tipping the waiter generously. When he leaves the restaurant, he gives a beggar enough to buy himself a veal cutlet for lunch and to pay the tip.
He goes to the park, doing more good deeds and feeding what is left of his peanuts to the pigeons. When he starts for home, he misses his opportunity to engage the first two or three taxis that stop because he allows people who look as though they need a cab more than he does to take them. Finally, a cab that is not really looking for a fare picks him up, and the driver takes his picking up someone when he did not plan to do so as an omen that he should not bet ten dollars on a horse race. Mr. Johnson gives the man advice about the races and gives him ten more dollars so that he can bet on a sure thing later in the week.
When he finally gets home, Mr. Johnson announces his arrival and asks his wife about her day. She tells him that it was "here and there." She accused a woman in a department store of shoplifting and called the store detective. Then she got on a bus and asked the driver for a transfer, but he helped someone else first, so she took his number and reported him. She speculates that he will likely lose his job.
Mr. Johnson listens to her account and responds, "Fine. But you do look tired. Want to change over tomorrow?" She says she would like to do so, that she could do with a change. He asks what they are having for dinner. She responds that they are having veal cutlet, and he tells her, "Had it for lunch."
Bibliography
Carpenter, Lynette. "Domestic Comedy, Black Comedy, and Real Life: Shirley Jackson, a Woman Writer." In Faith of a (Woman) Writer, edited by Alice Kessler-Harris and William McBrien. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Friedman, Lenemaja. Shirley Jackson. Boston: Twayne, 1975.
Hall, Joan Wylie. Shirley Jackson: A Study of Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1993.
Hattenhauer, Darryl. Shirley Jackson's American Gothic. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003.
Jefferson, Margo. "Shirley Jackson, Novelist or Witch?" Vogue 178, no. 7 (July, 1988): 70.
Kittredge, Mary. "The Other Side of Magic: A Few Remarks About Shirley Jackson." In Discovering Modern Horror Fiction, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. Mercer Island, Wash.: Starmont House, 1985.
Oppenheimer, Judy. Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988.