THE LUNCHEON
Author & Works
William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was an English novelist, playwright, and
short-story writer whose work is distinguished by a simple, uncomplicated language,
cosmopolitan settings, and a keen insight into human nature. His father worked as a
counselor at the British Embassy in Paris, where he was born.
His parents both died before he was ten, so he returned to England to live with his
father's brother, a clerk. He attended King's School in Canterbury and Heidelberg
University in Germany. He studied medicine but devoted the rest of his life to writing
after getting his degree at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.
He never gave up in his life, instead toiling hard and leaving no stone unturned to
attain the peak. He was one of the most well-known authors of his day. Though he did
not get the same critical praise as his modernist predecessors, who were known for
their more experimental prose styles, he was one of the most respected and highest
paid of his profession during the 1930s.
His reputation as a novelist rests primarily on four books: Of Human Bondage (1915),
The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor’s Edge (1944).
Maugham has an incredible ability to convey a situation and the basics of a character
with a few touches, and his stories are written with lucidity and economy of words
that are characteristics of a master craftsman.
The Luncheon was one of his stories in which he revealed his life events in a sarcastic
manner that one reads with delight and relates to any such events that may have
occurred in their lives.

Writing style & purpose
Maugham's writing style focuses on family, love, and the ups and downs of marriage,
as well as upper-class situations and customs. His works are written in a very
idiomatic and fluent language, exhibiting the author's desired traits of simplicity,
clarity, and euphony. He brought to the genre a flair for inventing engaging characters
that reflect life's ironies, content to tell an entertaining story from his own distinctive
point of view. Maugham's narrative persona in his later works is a man who is

interested in people but is distant and analytical in his examination of their actions and
reasons. The narrator has an exceptional level of tolerance for human foibles and
inconsistencies, and he is hesitant to pass judgment on human behavior. He typically
writes about grownups in conflict with one another and with society norms. His
characters frequently improve in tolerance and acceptance of human existence, which
is shown rather pessimistically.
Maugham based his characters on persons he knew or whose lives he had been
acquainted with; their actions are depicted with perfect realism. They are driven by
their feelings or emotions, as well as their attempts to influence their fates, rather than
by an ideology or set of values. They may experience inner turmoil and struggle, but


they are rarely afflicted by such feelings. The characters, like their creator-narrator,
frequently have the ability to examine themselves with clinical detachment and
objectivity, to cast a cold eye on life.

Summary
The story takes place twenty years ago in Paris, when the author was living there. It
was here that he met this lady admirer. He was someone she'd met at a performance.
She'd read one of his books and written him a note detailing her thoughts. Another
letter stated her visit and her wish to have a little luncheon at a rich restaurant 'Foyots',
where French senators dined. Maugham was not a wealthy guy and had never
imagined himself in this situation, but he could not refuse her request. He calculated
that the luncheon would cost no more than fifteen Francs, so he decided to eliminate
coffee from his menu so that he would have plenty for the next two weeks. He
scheduled their so-called 'meeting' for Thursday at half past twelve. The lady was
middle-aged, around forty, talkative but not attractive. The author ordered the cheapest
item on the menu, mutton chops, while she ordered the most costly dishes on the
menu, salmon and Caviare.
She ordered white champagne after the meal. While she continued to enjoy the meal

and spoke about art, literature, and music, William was preoccupied about the cost.
The bill was astronomically high. When the server delivered the bill, the woman
shoved him aside and placed an order for Asparagus, a dish that was highly pricey.
Although the author's heart fell and his mouth watered, he had to keep his emotions
under check. She ordered ice cream and then coffee to add to his suffering. She kept
proclaiming that "she never ate anything for luncheon just a bite" while doing so.
William started conniving how he could feign being pick-pocketed and how he could
pay the bill. To his utter dismay, the head-waiter walked up to the table with a large
basket full of huge peaches. She demanded peaches.
Finally, the bill was paid. William was left with only a few Francs for the tip and no
money for the rest of the month. The author, on the other hand, got his final vengeance
when he met the woman after twenty years and discovered she weighed 136 pounds.

Setting
This story is divided into three logical parts: the first is presented by two first
paragraphs when the book writer and the woman meet again in Paris after they last
saw each other 20 years ago, which recurs to his memory within the second logical
part - the luncheon is at a restaurant. The last part brings us back to the present, when
the narrator and the lady have finally met after a twenty-year apart. The author
concludes by stating that he is not a vengeful man. However, the immortal gods
exacted their vengeance for the luncheon ordeal. Now consider this lady, who only
eats light lunches and only one thing at a time. She now “weighs twenty-one stones”
(nearly 295 pounds).


Plot
The given text is often divided into 3 logical parts: the first one is presented when the
narrator sees the woman at the theater in 20 years since their first meeting, which
recurs to his memory within the second logical part. It is the story within the story. So,
“The Luncheon” is often divided into 3 structural parts: the exposition, the story, and

therefore the climax.
In the beginning, the narrator and the woman meet again after they last saw each other
20 years before, and then he starts to recall the luncheon on that day.
He was a young man, living in Paris and “earn barely enough money to keep body and
soul together”. She had read his book and wrote a letter to him, expressing her wish to
have with him a little luncheon at Foyot's - a restaurant where French senators eat. The
young writer knew the restaurant was out of his financial range, which was confirmed
when he saw the prices on the menu. The woman, on the other hand, kept ordering
expensive meals, causing the story's tension to rise as the young man became more
stressed. The complication is that he was too embarrassed to stop the woman from
ordering more food.
The story's drama is created by the strain between the writer's embarrassment and the
woman's selfish desire to feast at his cost. He went through a lot of anxiety about how
he was going to pay too much money at the end of the meal. He began to imagine how
he would react if the bill was too large for him to pay. He alleged that someone had
picked his pocket, then left his watch at the restaurant and paid afterward to get it
back.
The climax of the story occurs when the bill finally arrives. He found that he could
manage to pay it, but would have no money left for the rest of the month. And now, 20
years later, the story has finally come to a close, with an ironic "twist in the tale." The
narrator states that he finally got his "revenge" since the woman had gained a lot of
weight.
The story is arranged in such a way that only the beginning and end of the story are
told in the present tense. There is an ironic twist in the final sentence of the story. It is
an unexpected change in the outcomes or ending of the story. It contains his message
to the reader: The lady wins the author's favor and expresses her wish to meet him at a
high-class restaurant. With a touch of humor, William exposes the false motivations of
the middle classes' modest eating habits. In addition to illustrating a woman's habits,
"The Luncheon" manipulates the conventions of high society, where he is subject to
her daily meager dietary requirements.


Characters


The Protagonist: The story happened twenty years ago so we can expect that he is
young. He is a new and unskilled writer residing in Paris. He's also a well-educated
man with a decent sense of courtesy inherited from his family. He is not rich and
struggles to keep his physical and spiritual aspects together. He is in a modest
situation “tiny apartment overlooking a cemetery” “earn barely enough money to keep
body and soul together”, “Foyot’s was far beyond my means that I never thought of
going here”. The narrator has only eight francs to pay the bill when he meets the lady
at Foyot's. The narrator is eventually left with no money. About his personality, he is a
polite person. He answers to thank her, orders what she wants during the meal “I was
too young to have learned to say no to a woman.”, stops drinking coffee to invite her
and never interrupts her. He is also considerate, providing and intelligent. When he
receives a letter from a woman who is enamored with his art and wishes to see him, he
is flattered yet unable to tell her the truth. Due to his conventional etiquette, he is
unable to say no to women. He makes forecasts on the prices, he plans his month
depending on his money and makes up excuses in his mind in case he doesn’t have
enough money “borrow money”, “leaves his watched” “loses his wallet”. Despite the
fact that he cannot afford fancy food, he permits her to eat it. Throughout the novel,
his personality evolves. His emotions shift from flattery and excitement to disgust,
hatred, and finally revenge. Due to the tragic series of events triggered by the
inconsiderate woman, his first youthful sensations of admiration and delight turn to
contempt and rage. He feels stressed during luncheon because of the prices. He is
worried because he doesn’t know if he will have enough money. Finally, the young
protagonist realizes that he should not be overly generous for fear of being used. In
conclusion, he is a Round, Dynamic Character.
The Lady: The woman was 40 years old, chatty, and unattractive “rather imposing
than attractive”. She adored the narrator's writing. She had read one of his novels and

had written him a note congratulating him on his accomplishments. She manipulates
him by demanding a chat with him and a quick lunch at Foyot, an upscale restaurant
he cannot afford. “More teeth”, “white large teeth” and “French white wines” suggests
her cold personality. All the novel is centered on her mouth, she speaks and eats, while
the rest of her body isn’t very important. She gets what she wants, but the author bears
the brunt of the punishment. She was, in reality, a lovely young lady. But she isn't the
type to elicit a frenzied rush of desire at first sight. She is a woman who adores eating
and is constantly hungry. She doesn't even consider the costs of the expensive foods,
which the narrator must pay for. Her signature line is, "I never eat more than one
thing." This woman is intelligent, experienced, selfish, self-centered, and unconcerned
about the cost. She is independent and only thinks about herself: her interests,
longings, and so on. She makes no attempt to determine whether the poor author can
afford such extravagant fare. She is al so talkative, because he sees that she wanted to
talk about him. Besides, her behavior is strange from the beginning. She asks him to
luncheon and later says that he asks her. Moreover, she always repeats the same
sentences “I never eat more than one thing” “ I never drink anything for luncheon” “I
never eat anything for luncheon” to claim that she is a very simple person. About the
background of this woman, we don’t know a lot about her, if she has a job or not. We
don’t even know her name because that is not the importance in the novel, the


importance is to understand the moral at the end. It’s not because someone flatters you
that you have to accept everything. In conclusion, she is a Round, Static Character.
The waiter: (Flat, The protagonist is the writer who's also the main character and the
antagonist in the story is the woman who stands in opposition to him. The waiter is
also a character that appears in the story, a very serious person and from the writer's
perspective, the waiter appears as false because he keeps smiling for the woman and
encourages her to order more food. That could be perfectly normal because that's what
waiters do. They want to help the guests and encourage them to order more food and
of course in hopes of getting some dip money for their service. For the writer, this

appears as a false kind of smile the waiter is against because the writer doesn't have
money and the waiter keeps on and so he goes on encouraging the woman and that is
not definitely not comfortable for him to pay. In conclusion, he is a Flat, Static
Character.

Characterization
It’s the indirect characterization, because the writer reveals information about a
character and his/her personality through that character’s thoughts, words, and actions,
along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think
and say about him/ her.
Narration shows the evolution of the situation: the tension of the man is growing up.
He’s less and less happy to be in the restaurant with her. He only thinks about the bill
that he will have to pay. Besides, dialogues underline the woman’s bad behavior. She
does the opposite of what she says. “I never eat anything for luncheon”, but she
actually eats different very expensive dishes. Dialogues between the host and the
guest are effective and permit the reader to witness what is happening. With the
narration, we can exactly know what the man thinks. The lexical field of the adjective
that qualifies the food of the woman is a foreshadowing of the end. The asparagus are
“enormous” and the peaches “huge”. In the end, she’s fat.

Narrator and point of view
First Person narration: «-myself- me »
The story is narrated from a first-person perspective. The narrator is an older writer,
remembering an event that took place 20 years before. He is able to see how young
and immature he was at the time, and how manipulated he was by the woman. Using
first-person narration helps to identify the reader to the main character and helps to
develop feelings about the situation. Shows what really happens! And it makes it
easier to appreciate the main character.

Theme

In “The Luncheon” by W. Somerset Maugham we have the theme of struggle, reality,
and appearance. Greed plays a significant role in the plot. The unidentified narrator is
a glutton for praise, and as a poor, struggling author, he needs all the praise he can get.


So, even though he only has eighty francs to sustain him for the month, he leaps at the
chance to lunch with a woman who appears to be interested in his job. The prevailing
social customs of the time require that the guy should always foot the tab for supper,
even if he is financially embarrassed, as he was on this occasion. Of course, his lunch
partner is greedy as well, but in a far more usual way. The verbal irony disguised in
sentences she utters to the speaker like she did not eat too much is the most interesting
aspect. The irony in her statements contributes to the development of the major issue.
These occurrences turn "The Luncheon" into a true comedic narrative.

Figure of Speech
1. Rhetorical question
- “ Did I remember?”
=> The effect of a rhetorical question is that it is asked to make a point without
expecting a response and is posed to encourage the listener to think about a message
or position.
2. Parallelism
- “ I never eat more than one thing.”
- “ I never eat more than one thing. Unless you have a little caviar”
- “ I never drink anything for luncheon”
- “ I never eat anything for luncheon. Just a bite, I never want more than that,
and I eat that more as an excuse for conversation than anything else. I couldn’t
possibly eat anything more - unless they had some of those great asparagus.”
=> Parallelism makes the article smooth, easy to read and especially avoid
misunderstandings. In this case, it helps to reveal the woman’s hypocrisy and greed.
3. Simile

- “The smell of the melted butter tickled my nostrils as the nostrils of Jehovah
were tickled by the burned offerings of the virtuous Semites.”
=> The descriptions of the food in the story are very vivid because of the figurative
language used. The writer compares the influence of the asparagus scent on him to
the effect of the exquisite smell of ancient Jewish temple sacrifices to God in one
powerful comparison.
4. Irony
- “ I never eat more than one thing for luncheon”
=> In the story, the author makes extensive use of irony. When the narrator indicates
that the situation looks to be the polar opposite of what it really is, this is called irony.
It's hilarious, for example, that the woman frequently claims she doesn't eat much,
despite the fact that she gets many dishes and eats far more than "one thing." She then
goes on to scold the writer for stuffing himself with meat despite the fact that he only
ate one chop. The writer tells her at the end of the meal that he will not eat again that
day. Ironically, this is one of the few occasions when he is telling the truth, but she
believes he is joking.
5. Metaphor
- “ While we were waiting for the coffee, the head waiter, with an ingratiating
smile on his false face, came up to us bearing a large basket full of huge
peaches. They had the blush of an innocent girl; they had the rich tone of an


Italian landscape.”
=> One effective metaphor is the comparison of peaches to the rosy skin of a young
girl, or to the color found in an Italian landscape.

GUIDING QUESTIONS
1. What do you think of the request that the woman made of the man? Why did
he accept it?
The woman expressed her desire to eat lunch at Foyot which is a restaurant that the

French senators eat. Because she is a woman, the narrator is responsible for the bill,
despite the fact that she not only invited him to lunch but also chose the location and
appears to be of better social rank and affluence.
selfish, she is a high-society snob
The narrator decided to go for lunch with the woman as he was flattered by her praises
for his work and he was too young to say no to a lady and also a modest luncheon
would have not left his pocket with a big hole.
2. What did the man notice about the woman’s appearance? Does it perhaps give
a clue to her character?
According to the author, the lady he was having luncheon with was not as young as he
had expected. She was imposing in her appearance rather than attractive. She was a
woman of forty and gave him an impression of having more teeth, white and large and
even than were necessary for any practical purpose. She was talkative and seemed
inclined to talk to the author.
From the story, it can be concluded that the lady was self-centered. This is because
before starting with the luncheon, she said that she never ate anything for luncheon.
However, later, she ordered the most expensive items on the menu - all the while
saying that she never eats more than one thing for lunch. Moreover, she didn't even
offer those dishes which she ordered for herself to the narrator which shows that she
was selfish. Moreover, the way she spoke in a rude manner about the narrator’s choice
to eat mutton chop proved that she was self-centered.
3. What is ironic about what the woman kept saying? How did the man feel about
this?
The woman tells the author that she never eats anything for luncheon. But soon she
says that she will love to have salmon, a highly priced item in the menu. Then she
orders for caviare, and then champagne and at last asparagus. This is dramatic irony. It
is based on the strong contrast between what the woman keeps saying and what she
actually does.
The man did not enjoy his meal at all because throughout the luncheon he was
bothered about the bill. He was overcome by anxiety and wondered if the money he



had would be sufficient to pay the bill. He thought he would have to leave his watch
and come back and pay later. During the dinner, the woman was discussing the many
forms of art, literature, and music with the narrator. However, the narrator was
perplexed by the bill. He was calculating the bill in his head and thinking about what
the bill would be. He couldn't pay attention to her speeches and conversations about
art, literature, and music.
4. Did the man somehow get his revenge? Can you think of some way the man
might turn the situation around?
The author had his revenge on the lady when he met the lady at a play twenty years
later. During the luncheon the lady had kept saying how she had only one thing for
lunch and how one must stop eating before one is full. However, twenty years later
she weighed twenty one stone. Thus indicating that she had not even followed her
own advice of eating moderately This gave the author his revenge.
In our group’s opinion, the man could suggest splitting instead of paying all the bills.
First of all, the narrator is not a wealthy man. He may have published a book but his
funds are not adequate enough for him to dine in restaurants. Secondly, there is no real
dynamic between the narrator and the woman during the luncheon. They may be of
different ages however the woman does the majority of talking without making
inquiries into how the narrator is progressing with his writing. It is as though the
woman is acting selfishly and in her own interests. The most important thing to the
woman appears to be the food that is being served to her. She has no interest in the
narrator’s struggles as a writer. Therefore, splitting the bill is the best choice for the
man to turn the situation around and highlight the roles of each gender
5. Why do you think the woman behaved as she did? Did she want to take
advantage of the man, or was she simply ignorant of his money problems?
At the beginning of the text, the narrator sees a woman at the theater in many years
since they first met and can hardly recognize her because the lady has put on a lot of
weight. She is smart and experienced; we can see that she has a good plan with her

guest. Probably, she had many “Luncheons” like that in the past. And after meeting
with the author, she might be able to eat too much delicious food without payment
with others. So the woman has gained a lot of weight now.
She not only invites him to lunch but also chooses the location and appears to be of
higher social status and wealth. “ I never eat more than one thing.”- The woman
repeatedly claimed to never eat more than one dish for lunch before continuing to
order salmon, caviar, champagne, asparagus, peaches, and dessert. The price of the
dish was getting more and more expensive. Moreover, she knew that she was a
woman, the narrator was responsible for the bill. In my opinion, she wants to take
advantage of the author to have an expensive meal.
6. What should the man have done to get out of this difficult situation? Do you
think that he was trapped by the rules of courtesy and good manners? What
would you do in a similar circumstance?


When he receives a letter from a woman who is enamored with his art and wishes to
see him, he is flattered yet unable to tell her the truth. Due to his conventional
etiquette, he is unable to say no to women. Due to the tragic series of events triggered
by the inconsiderate woman, his first youthful sensations of admiration and delight
turn to contempt and rage. He feels stressed during the luncheon because of the prices.
He is worried because he doesn’t know if he will have enough money. Finally, the
young protagonist realizes that he should not be overly generous for fear of being
used. The man should have claimed that he didn’t have much money from the
beginning, or shared the bill equally with the woman, or even denied to pay because
he didn’t eat anything. I think that he actually was trapped by the rules of courtesy and
good manners. She is a woman who adores eating and is constantly hungry. She
doesn't even consider the costs of the expensive foods, which the narrator must pay
for. Her signature line is, "I never eat more than one thing." This woman is intelligent,
experience
7. How did the author use the irony in the story to create humor?

In the story, the author makes extensive use of irony. When the narrator indicates that
the situation looks to be the polar opposite of what it really is, this is called irony. It's
hilarious, for example, that the woman frequently claims she doesn't eat much, despite
the fact that she gets many dishes and eats far more than "one thing." She then goes on
to scold the writer for stuffing himself with meat despite the fact that he only ate one
chop. The writer tells her at the end of the meal that he will not eat again that day.
Ironically, this is one of the few occasions when he is telling the truth, but she believes
he is joking.
8. Why did she call him a humorist before she left?
"The Luncheon," by Somerset Maugham, unfolds with beautifully nuanced comedy
and courteous irony. The story starts with the narrator's woman friend coaxing him out
for a small luncheon at a very pricey restaurant. The narrator was confident in his
decision to order only a small amount of food, keeping in mind his monthly budget.
However, irony emerges when we find that, under the guise of a "small luncheon," the
lady continued to purchase exotic dishes such as salmon, asparagus, and caviar
without regard for the narrator's financial situation. When the lady tells the narrator
that he should follow in her footsteps and serve himself a "small luncheon," the author
cynically and amusingly retorts that he would do better if he didn't eat anything for
supper that day. "You are quite a humorist," the lady responded in reply to these
remarks.