The man with a grouch

In Short

Set on the lush tropical island of Levua, this short story follows Christopher Flexner, a mild-mannered trade station manager whom his employers have just dismissed for chronic, nitpicking dissatisfaction. While waiting to hand over his post to a successor, Flexner witnesses a violent battle between a sperm whale and a giant squid just offshore. The next morning, a chance rowing trip into the open sea leads him to discover a massive lump of floating ambergris. Instantly transformed into a wealthy man, Flexner secures passage home, proving his old boss right to the very end with one final, petty grievance.

The Story

Old Reuben Lombard, a shrewd partner in the San Francisco firm Lombard, Drex & Co., visits the Levua trade station to investigate why things are failing despite good market prices and thriving trees. After a month of observing the manager, Lombard decides to fire Christopher Flexner. Although honest and sober, Flexner suffers from an incurable mental habit of perpetual grousing, constantly finding fault with circumstances rather than accepting them. Lombard resolves to replace him with a young man named George Arrow and writes his dismissal letter that same evening.

A few weeks later, near the end of December, the company schooner Golden Hope arrives, bringing Arrow and Captain Bartells to the island. Flexner greets his successor with complete unconcern, inviting him in for drinks and discussing the upcoming Christmas holiday without a trace of bitterness. That night, deep in the early morning hours, a massive commotion wakes the household. A wounded sperm whale and a giant squid are thrashing furiously in the shallows, hunted by tiger sharks until the squid is entirely devoured. Flexner watches with quiet, scientific delight, cementing his reputation as an easy-going naturalist rather than a disgruntled man.

The next morning, as final preparations for the schooner's departure get underway, Flexner takes a small twelve-footer out past the coral reefs to gaze at Levua from the sea one last time. While drifting and reflecting, he notices a strange, mottled white mass floating on the water. Paddling closer, he recognizes it as a massive chunk of ambergris—valuable whale secretion worth a small fortune. Using a line from his boat, he struggles against the strong current to tow the heavy treasure back to the island, narrowly avoiding disaster.

Captain Bartells spots the haul and immediately protects Flexner's interests by treating him as an independent private owner since his employment officially ended yesterday. The captain helps hoist the two-hundred-pound lump aboard the Golden Hope and calculates its immense market value. That evening, Flexner and Arrow sit on the veranda sharing a final drink together before Flexner's departure. Despite having just secured a massive fortune that changes his life forever, Flexner falls silent and voices a sharp complaint about not being able to reach England in time for Christmas Day, leaving Arrow to realize that old Lombard was entirely right about him.

How It Unfolds

• The investigation begins: Reuben Lombard visits the Levua station, observes manager Christopher Flexner for a month, and concludes that his chronic dissatisfaction makes him unfit for business.
• The successor arrives: George Arrow steps off the Golden Hope into the tropical heat, where Flexner greets him warmly and shares stories of past English Christmases.
• The nocturnal battle: A wounded sperm whale and a giant squid fight in the moonlit lagoon before tiger sharks drive the squid ashore to its end.
• The floating prize: Flexner rows out past the reefs alone the following morning and discovers a massive, human-shaped lump of valuable ambergris.
• The difficult tow: Battling the southward-running current and fatigue, Flexner painstakingly ropes the heavy mass and manages to tow it back inside the lagoon.
• The final complaint: Safe aboard the schooner with a literal fortune secured, Flexner sits on the veranda and immediately grumbles about missing Christmas at home.

The People

• Christopher Flexner wants peace and quiet, but his mind is constitutionally incapable of accepting things as they are. He stands in his own way through petty perfectionism, yet takes disaster and sudden wealth in stride, ending up immensely rich but just as chronically dissatisfied as before.
• Reuben Lombard wants competent management for his Pacific trade stations. Armed with an appalling knowledge of human nature, his sharp judgment cuts straight through Flexner's pleasant exterior to identify his core flaw, ending up entirely vindicated by the final scene.
• George Arrow wants a fresh start running the Levua station and hopes to experience a traditional holiday. He tries hard to spot Flexner's supposed flaws, ultimately discovering the truth of Lombard's warning when Flexner's final complaint shatters the evening peace.
• Captain Bartells wants to help his friend bypass corporate greed. Using technicalities about the three-mile limit and private freight, he protects Flexner's ownership of the ambergris and ensures his fortune is safely loaded.

In Its Own Voice

Lombard, Drex & Co., of San Francisco, owned the station.

This sentence establishes the corporate backing and distant oversight that shape the economic reality of the characters' lives in the Pacific.

The outer sea beyond the reefs stretched like a sheet of lazulite to where above the far horizon the white trade clouds showed like a procession of ghosts born of distance and summer.

This line highlights the rich, atmospheric beauty of the South Seas setting through vivid natural descriptions.

“Nothing,” said Flexner, “only I was thinking that all the ambergris in the world wouldn’t get me home for Christmas Day.”

This concluding remark perfectly captures the protagonist's incurable, ironic grousing right after striking it rich.

What It's Really About

The story explores the inescapable nature of human psychology and the paradox of contentment. Beneath the exotic backdrop of South Seas trade stations and marine spectacles, it questions whether character can ever truly be altered by circumstance. Flexner's journey suggests that a chronically dissatisfied mind will always find something to complain about, even when handed an absolute fortune. It contrasts the quiet, vibrant majesty of the natural world against petty human grumbling, arguing that internal perspective matters far more than external wealth.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate slow-paced, atmospheric character studies with a touch of dry, ironic humor will love this story. It feels like sitting on a warm veranda at twilight, listening to an old sailor spin a yarn about human folly. The prose is rich with vivid descriptions of coral reefs, tropical forests, and bizarre marine life that make the setting feel remarkably tangible. Modern readers should be prepared for period attitudes common to early-twentieth-century colonial fiction, including casual references to island headmen and native labor, as well as a leisurely storytelling rhythm that prioritizes character observation over rapid plotting. What stays with you long after finishing is the brilliant, subtle punchline of human nature—the realization that no amount of luck can ever fully cure a lifelong grouch.