The Bum by W. Somerset Maugham. Short summary

5 seconds

The author decides to take a break from work and devote time to himself. He went to Yucatan, but because of the strike he got stuck in Veracruz. On the street he noticed a beggar who vaguely reminded him of someone.

1 minute

The author laments that he doesn’t have enough time to do at least some of the things he wants to do. He can’t remember when he had a spare second. He dreamed of an entire week without doing anything.

The narrator dreamed of idleness, even though he understood that time is fleeting and irrevocable. It was a waste of time to throw it away. Wasting the short, golden hours of life is like pouring out a watch with a pearl dissolved in it.

The writer wanted to devote a week to himself, during which he would continue to read. A man accustomed to reading becomes gloomy, twitchy, and restless without books. With grief he is forced to read old advertisements and telephone directories. But the writer, reading rarely, wanted reading to become a form of idleness.

Soon the author goes to Yucatan, but because of the strike stays in Veracruz. Here among the local beggars he notices a beggar who vaguely reminds him of someone.