"Consequences" is a short story by
Willa Cather. It was first published in ''
McClure's'' in November 1915.
[''Uncle Valentine and Other Stories: Willa Cather's Uncollected Short Fiction, 1915-29'', University of Nebraska Press; Dec 1973, page 84]
Plot summary
Kier Cavenaugh picks up his neighbour Henry Eastman on his way back to their apartment building in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Back in his flat, Eastman needs a
German language
German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
dictionary to prepare a case. He goes down to his neighbour's to ask if he can borrow his, and there a man seems to have just left his apartment through the window. Eastman leaves unfazed, too busy with work.
On
New Year's Eve Eastman decides to stay in, and Cavenaugh comes along. They talk about
suicide, especially bachelors like them who have committed suicide. Cavenaugh explains how he first met the man who is stalking him. His car had broken down and the man was supposed to help him tow him home. The man was delirious but seemed to know everything about him, every single detail even from schooldays, any memory likely to put him down. Eastman suggests moving to
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
for a while - that way the stalker would get bored and leave him alone.
A couple of days later, Cavenaugh tells Eastman he shall follow his counsel. However, the next day he is found to have killed himself in his apartment.
Characters
*Henry Eastman, a lawyer in his forties.
*Kier Cavenaugh, Eastman's neighbour.
*Rollins, Eastman's servant.
*the stalker
*Dudley, a late friend of Eastman's.
*Rosina, Dudley's wife.
*Dr Johnson
*Wyatt, a rich bachelor who decided to spend all his money and commit suicide.
*Anna Karenina, a woman who attempted to commit suicide.
*Captain Jack Purden, a married man who decided to commit suicide.
*Charley Burke
*Brian, Cavenaugh's late twin brother. He died when he was sixteen years old.
*Harry, Cavenaugh's driver.
Major themes
*Suicide
References to other works
*
Lancelot is mentioned in passing.
References
External links
''Full Text''at th
''Willa Cather Archive''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Consequences (Cather Story)
1915 short stories
Short stories by Willa Cather
Works originally published in McClure's