My Lost Dollar

-Stephen Leacock

Summary

My Lost Dollar is a story narrated in first person by the author Stephen Leacock. The one line
summary is that he tries in many ways to get back that one dollar he lent his friend Todd for
paying his taxi to go to Bermuda. It is made to be funny by using comparisons on the amount one
dollar and on friendship.

*Themes:-

In the story, there are the theme of honesty, hypocrisy, appearance, letting go, frustration and
acceptance. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed man the reader realizes after reading the
story that Leacock may be exploring the theme of letting go. As to why the narrator doesn't
simply ask Todd outright for the money is also interesting. Again the narrator is looking for a
standard from others that he himself cannot meet.

*The story lines:-

The author's close friend is going one tour to Bermuda. Just before his departure, he Wants’
some small change to pay off the taxi. He asks the author to lend him a dollar. Leacock also
gives it readily. Todd departs for Bermuda. Todd writes a letter to the author from Bermuda, but
there is no dollar bill inside the envelope. Twelve months go by. Todd has returned from
Bermuda, but has not bothered to return the one dollar to the author. The lender is too decent to
offend his friend by demanding his dollar back. He tries many ways to remind Todd about the
dollar he owed, but due to some inexplicable reasons, the memory of the unpaid dollar refuses to
enter Todd's mind. The author lists out the ways he attempted to remind his friend. First he went
to the railway station to receive Todd when he returned from Bermuda. Todd was as cheerful as
ever, but not the least embarrassed. The author becomes unhappy. On another occasion, during
an evening chat, the author discusses the subject of the American dollar by asking if it is
circulation in Bermuda too. Todd replies casually but not remembering about the unpaid dollar.
The author meets Todd almost every day in the Club, but Todd never mentions about his debt.
Todd even says that he no longer remembers much about his Bermuda trip. The author is
exasperated. He feels resigned to the loss of his dollar. In desperation, he adds Todd's name to
his list of people who have similarly not paid money back to him. The author remains as friendly
with Todd as before. On another day, the author met Todd over dinner. Todd talks about the loan
of Poland which is not paid. But, Todd did not appear to think of his own unpaid debt.
*Sad feelings:-

With his wounded feelings, he feels, if forgetting loans is so human, he himself could have taken
such loan and not repaid [Link] realization unsettles him. Much disturbed, the author is about to
start a "Back to Honesty "campaign. He is convinced that honesty should be the backbone of the
nations aspiring to greatness. While concluding, the author wants his forgetful friend Todd not
to know of the torment the payment has caused to him. Comically, he wants the readers not to
bring the copies of this story to the University Club Montreal frequented by the major Todd.

*Moral:-

The moral of the story is that small or big, one should return the money to the others. That
amount may be important for the lender. Further, It gives a great pain to the lender, if the
borrower totally forgets about money borrowed. An honest man remembers the help done by
friends.

*Summation:-

The story is a hilarious except based upon human behavior on borrowing and lending money
intervened with the natural tendency of human memory of the borrower and humorous failed
attempts of its revival by the lender.

A) Answer the following questions in one sentence each.

1. Why is the narrator uneasy when he meets Todd?

The narrator was uneasy when he meets the Todd because Todd owes a dollar from the narrator
and it's been twelve months, the Todd already forget it.

2. Is it possible for the narrator to forget the borrowed dollar?

No, it is not possible for the narrator to forget the borrowed dollar.

3. Why exactly did Todd borrow a dollar from the narrator?

Todd borrow a dollar from the narrator to pay for a taxi when he was going for his Hamilton
Bermuda trip.

4. Why did the narrator go to meet Todd at the station on his return?

When Todd was returned from his Bermuda trip then narrator was go to the station to receive
him as Todd was feels happy and good to see that there is someone who is waiting for him.
 A) Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words.

1. Look at the steps by which the narrator tried to remind Todd about the borrowed dollar.
How do they fail?

After receiving Todd at the train, the narrator took him to the Club. He didn’t refer to his dollar
but asked Todd what currency is used in Bermuda and whether the American Dollar goes at par.
He put a slight emphasis on the American Dollar to give his friend a gentle but unsuccessful hint.
A few days later, he asked Todd what his trip had cost him. Todd replied that he didn’t keep
accounts. A little later, he asked him if he felt settled down after his trip. Todd replied that he
had practically forgotten about it. When all his hints failed to land at the target, the narrator
realized that his dollar was gone for good.

2. The narrator wants to speak out about dollars that he might have [Link] is the
humour in this?

The narrator thinks that if he had taken a dollar from someone and the narrator had forgotten
about it then he should never repay it again. But if such men come then he can speak out with
them not all at once but in reasonable numbers as far as they should come in an alphabetical
order so he can immediately write out there names on paper but he doesn't count the dollar
borrowed on a bridge table and someone who paid for a plain soda.

3. Is Todd forgetful or unreliable? Would you give him the benefit of the doubt and if so,on
what basis?

Yes Todd is forgetful or unreliable because he is going to a trip in other country and is not
accountable of the cost of trip and not remembering about anything before going to trip for
taking a dollar from friend and not repaying it and he still has to pay the debt of his wife that has
created and he is not much worried about it.

4. Can Todd be accused of double standards since he takes Poland to task for not paying
her debt while he has quietly?

Forgotten to pay back the borrowed dollar?

5. How is the speaker/author able to keep his friendship with Todd and yet take him to task
for his lack of credit worthiness?

The author of story did not have any idea that the Todd would forget about the dollar borrowed
from author. And still the author cannot directly ask for the dollar back from Todd but he tried to
give small hints to Todd but he failed every time but still he somehow managed not to tell Todd
directly about it.
C) Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

1. What is the theme of the story "My Lost Dollar"? (Refer solution of Q.2)

2. The story is titled as My Lost Dollar. Why is this apt as opposed to The Borrowed
Dollar?

"My Lost Dollar" is a story narrated in first person by the author Stephen Leacock. The one line
summary is that he tries in many ways to get back that one dollar he lent his friend Todd for
paying his taxi to go to Bermuda. It is made to be funny by using exaggeration on the amount
one dollar and on friendship. There is humor made out in the efforts of the author, all efforts
going in vain. The author picked a tale of two friends who are found in common place. The
author lends one dollar to Todd in the name of friendship and in kind. After Todd goes to
Bermuda, he had not forgotten about it. He expected Todd to return it as soon as he could. But
Todd avoids it as if he had forgotten it. After some days, Stephen gets a letter from Todd. He
mentioned the temperature in Bermuda but not about the dollar. When Todd returns to the town
after three weeks and then Stephen meets Todd at the railway station. The author does not
explicitly ask for the dollar. Instead he puts in a word that they hire one taxi to go to Montreal.
Stephen said that to remind Todd about one dollar he paid for taxi ride to Bermuda. Todd does
not agree and then suggests that they walk. So he did not get the hint of the author. The entire
evening they spent talking about Bermuda. All that while Stephen expected Todd to remember
the one dollar that he owed him. But he did not explicitly mention that. Perhaps it was the
embarrassment in asking directly. It could be that in friendship one should not explicitly ask
money lent to friends and that too small amount like a dollar. Perhaps it is a shame to ask
directly. Then he inquires about the currency in Bermuda and its value as compared to the
American Dollar. He expected that Todd would remember that one dollar. Todd seemed to have
forgotten about that dollar completely. At dinner later, Todd says casually that Poland does not
pay her debts. Finally Stephen gives up the dollar from Todd. He adds the name of Todd to the
list of people owing him one dollar and have forgotten about it. Also, he gets a thought that just
as Todd has forgotten to return one dollar, perhaps he himself also forgotten to return money he
borrowed from others. He does not remember any names. He wishes to start a Honesty
Movement for paying those the odd dollars (small amounts) that he borrowed earlier. Honesty is
important. The author leaves final comments in humor that he did not want Todd to see the copy
of the book with this story and read this story. The moral of this story is that small or big, one
should return the money owed to others. That amount may be important for the lender. Further, it
gives a great pain to the lender, if the borrower totally forgets about money borrowed. An honest
man remembers the help done by friends.
3. Is there humor or pathos in the story of the borrowed dollar? Explain.

The story "My Lost Dollar" is written by the author Stephen Leacock. This story is about the
One Dollar which is lent by the author to his friend Todd. And he had forgot about that dollar
and never returned it back. This story written by the Stephen in a simple and easy way as which
is helpful for the reader to get that, what exactly writer wants to say. As he always try to making
his books interesting for the readers he uses some humors in this story to make some happiness
on the reader’s faces. Basically, in this story the writer tell us that he lent one dollar to his friend
Todd and he was expecting that Todd was return this dollar as soon as he could but Todd was
totally forgot about that dollar and never going to retuned it. The author tries in many ways to get
that dollar back from the Todd. and here he uses some humor in his writing to asking himself
after he realize that Todd was forgot about the dollar and then he said himself that if anybody
else can borrow a dollar from him then he was get that/his dollar from his grave. and another
humorous thing he said when Todd was telling about his wife Poland who does not return her
debt then the author say's to himself that if he could borrow a dollar from any other person and if
he forgot about that then he was never going to pay that back to that person, if such person exits
they should come to me and ask for it not all of them together but at least in alphabetical order so
he can note down their names in his small diary, he also want his dollar from the Todd who
almost forgot it. And at the end of the story the Stephen Leacock(The narrator) had kindly
making a one request from the reader to do not let reach any single copy of this book to the
Major Todd.