The narrator begins the story ‘Quality’ by expressing his long familiarity with Mr. Gessler, the German shoemaker, for he used to make footwears for the narrator’s father, who swore by his craftsmanship. The narrator acts as a mirror that eyes and reflects the intrinsic beauty of the shoe-maker’s character and let the readers acknowledge those…
The short story ‘Quality’ by John Galsworthy tells the story of Mr. Gessler, a German shoemaker who makes the best boots in London. One very essential trait of his personality, apart from being a devoted shoe-maker and an owner of unique craftsmanship for his trait, was his prime importance to the quality of the shoes…
Mr. Gessler was full of resentment against big firms. The big firms depended on advertisement. They didn’t bother about the quality of their products. They produced shoes in bulk. They sold them quickly by getting them advertised. They sold ready-made shoes of all colours, shape and qualities. The quality of work did not seem to…
Mr. Gessler insisted on quality and not on quantity. He would never let anyone else share his work. Whenever he got an order, he took measurements of the feet himself. He used the best leather. He took quite a long time to execute the order. The customers had no time to wait for such a…
Mr. Gessler was having a tough time in his final years. First he lost his elder brother, then slowly he lost his customers because of the delay in delivery of his orders. He used to really work hard to make each pair of shoes. But still everything he earned went towards paying the rent of…
Once, Mr. Gessler’s shop was visited by the author and he ordered a pair of boots from him. So dutifully, he started measuring his customer’s feet. The author sorrowfully remarked that Mr. Gessler’s job was a really hard one. Instead of becoming angry at the remark, he simply smiled and replied “It is an Art.”
Mr. Gessler made boots only on orders. His boots were perfect in size. They lasted long and were made from the best leather. For Mr. Gessler boot making was an art which was exhibited perfectly in each pair of boots made by him.
Seeing those boots, Mr. Gessler for the first time informed the writer about the hardships of his trade and the hard times he was going through. Finding Mr. Gessler in pain, the writer called those boots, bought from the big firm, “ill-omened” ones.
The writer preferred the boots made by Mr. Gessler over those of big firms because the boots made by Mr. Gessler were made from the best leather, they were comfortable, fitted perfectly well and were durable and lasted long. So the writer was very attached to Mr. Gessler’s quality of boots.