I'm a Fool - Sherwood AndersonQuestion 1Anderson tells the story "I'm a Fool", through the voice of its main character - the shot. The narrator's voice enriches the story because his language reinforces his character. The swipe says he "got [his] education," not at college, but by working in the stables, traveling with Burt, and attending horse races. When he refers to people as “guys” (83) and uses expressions such as “the bitterest” (81), he confirms this fact. He uses incorrect grammar and many slang expressions; his language shows that he is uneducated and disadvantaged. The narrator calls himself a fool for trying to impress Miss Wessen; his lack of foresight led him to become someone richer and more important than he really is. The limits of swiping's understanding are revealed through its incoherent and lengthy narration. The story of the beating, combined with the way he tells it, reveals him to be an uneducated and immature person. The narration provides a direct presentation of the character of the blow; he openly calls himself an uneducated “fool” (89). The narrative voice provides an indirect presentation of the scan; readers understand it through its language and through its processes. Question 2 The swipe is ambivalent in his attitude towards education and social distinctions. At first, swiping has nothing to do with education. He believes that the “comrades” who “go to high school and university…know nothing at all” (82). The swipe was educated in stables, races and saloons; he doesn't care about being properly educated. Sweeping also ignores social distinctions. He hates people who disguise themselves to “put on airs” (83). He looks down on people who don't steal, drink or swear. When he meets the Wessens and Miss Woodbury, the swipe's opinion changes. He describes Wilbur Wessen as a “nice guy” and “the kind who maybe goes to college” (84). Miss Elinor Wessen is “the kindest girl” who “knew how to speak grammar correctly” (84). The swipe begins to admire these educated people. The swipe begins to wish he was more like the Wessens than those he once associated with. During dinner, he is so happy that his mother “made him learn to eat with a fork at the table” and that he is not “noisy and brutal like a gang you see around a racetrack” (88 ). The swipe begins to appreciate his education and respect social distinctions.