Pet Fly by Walter Mosley
"Pet Fly" by Walter Mosley is a first-person narrative that explores the life of Rufus Coombs, an African American recent college graduate who finds himself working in the mailroom of Carter's Home Insurance, despite aspiring for a more professional role. The story delves into Rufus's admiration for his coworker, Mona Donelli, and the complexities that arise from his interactions with her and her identical twin, Lana. While Rufus initially perceives friendliness from Mona, he becomes entangled in misunderstandings that lead to unintended consequences when he expresses affection towards Lana.
The narrative unveils themes of workplace dynamics and the precarious nature of social interactions, especially with regard to issues of consent and harassment. Rufus's sensitivity is highlighted by his peculiar relationship with a fly he keeps as a pet, symbolizing his gentle nature amid the harsh realities he faces at work. As the story unfolds, Rufus grapples with accusations of harassment, leading to a climactic confrontation that reflects the misogynistic culture within the corporate environment. Ultimately, "Pet Fly" addresses the intersection of race, gender, and personal aspiration, offering a poignant commentary on the broader societal challenges faced by individuals in similar predicaments.
On this Page
Pet Fly by Walter Mosley
First published: 1999
Type of plot: Character study
Time of work: The 1990's
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Rufus Coombs , an African American mail clerkMona Donelli , a white secretaryLana Donelli , her twinErnie , his boss and mentorMr. Drew , who receives the harassment complaintMr. Averill , a vice president
The Story
"Pet Fly" is a first-person story told by African American Rufus Coombs, a recent college graduate who was relegated to the mailroom of Carter's Home Insurance despite applying for a professional-trainee position. It opens with his appreciation of the vivacious Mona Donelli, a flashy dresser with a gregarious attitude. Although he notices her on his first day on his new job, he works his mail route for three weeks before he decides to get to know her better.
Rufus has had generally friendly but not intimate relationships with his coworkers, and he mistakes Mona Donelli's friendliness as an invitation. After meeting a rather chilling reception when he tries to strike up a conversation with her, he asks Ernie, his immediate supervisor and sometime confidant, for answers. Ernie reveals that Mona's identical twin Lana works for the same company, which explains the mixed messages Rufus has received.
Vaguely stirred by his recollections of the two sisters, Rufus soon finds excuses to drop by Lana's third-floor mortgage department as often as possible. Trouble ensues when he good-naturedly comments on her attire and quickly buys her a succession of increasingly expensive presents, which he leaves on her desk. Too late, he discovers that his advances are unwanted. Without warning, he is summoned to Mr. Drew's office, where he is shown the pink sexual harassment slip that Lana had filed.
Rufus is a man who would not hurt a fly; in fact, he feeds and even talks to the fly he finds in his apartment. His sensitivity is also shown in less bizarre ways. He chose an eighth-floor apartment because it has a view of the river even though he could have had a cheaper room on a lower floor. He has good relationships with his mother and a former girlfriend, although the latter only infrequently returns his calls.
When Rufus is first called on the carpet by Mr. Drew, he is so stunned by the accusations that he cannot bring himself to refute the charges. Instead, he can only think of applying for another job, especially when Mr. Averill, the vice president in charge of nonprofessional employees, summons Rufus to his office. The scene that unfolds is either a shocking instance of the misogynistic ways in which men conspire to keep their corporate power or a test to determine if Rufus is the miscreant that the sexual harassment slip indicates.
In a climactic moment, Mr. Averill tries to balance the magna cum laude success Rufus enjoyed in college with the insensitivity evident on the pink harassment slip. Seeking a common bond, the vice president brags that he could have five or six of the women in the office. He argues that the women would not think of it as harassment because, unlike Rufus, he would be direct in his manner. Rufus does not dispute this claim and is rewarded for his silence with a promotion to professional trainee.
Returning to his apartment, Rufus finds the fly has died. Placing it in one of the unused crack vials he found on his way home from work, he buries it under the expensive bonsai tree he had purchased but not had time to deliver to Lana. When he next gets in touch with his mother, she thinks the miniature tree is something he bought for himself and that a real bed might be his next purchase.
Bibliography
Bunyan, Scott. "No Order from Chaos: The Absence of Chandler's Extra-legal Space in the Detective Fiction of Chester Himes and Walter Mosley." Studies in the Novel 35 (Fall, 2003): 339-365.
Carby, Hazel V. "Figuring the Future in Los(t) Angeles." Comparative American Studies: An International Journal 1 (March, 2003): 19-34.
Chandler, Raymond. The Simple Art of Murder. Boston: Houghton, 1950.
Geherin, David. The American Private Eye: The Image in Fiction. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1985.
Gray, W. Russel. "Hard-Boiled Black Easy: Genre Conventions in A Red Death." African American Review 38 (Fall, 2004): 489-498.
Kennedy, Liam. "Black Noir: Race and Urban Space in Walter Mosley's Detective Fiction." In Diversity and Detective Fiction, edited by Kathleen Gregory Klein. Bowling Green, Ohio: Popular Press, 1999.
Levecq, Christine. "Blues Poetics and Blues Politics in Walter Mosley's RL's Dream." African American Review 38 (Summer, 2004): 239-256.
Lomax, Sara M. "Double Agent Easy Rawlins: The Development of a Cultural Detective." American Visions 7 (April/May, 1992): 32-34.
Mason, Theodore O., Jr. "Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins: The Detective and Afro-American Fiction." Kenyon Review 14 (Fall, 1992): 173-183.
Smith, David L. "Walter Mosley's Blue Light: (Double Consciousness) Squared." Extrapolation: A Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy 42 (Spring, 2001): 7-26.
Young, Mary. "Walter Mosley, Detective Fiction, and Black Culture." Journal of Popular Culture 32 (Summer, 1998): 141-150.