Summary Of The Palace Thief

“The die is cast,” cried Hundert, a teacher who, while at his rope’s end, saw his student’s character and determination dissolve. The short story, The Palace Thief by Ethan Canin, centers on the life of a prideful, selfish history teacher who obsesses over the class troublemaker Sedgewick. Many central themes emerge as the story develops. For example, Hundert’s, Sedgewick’s, and perhaps even all other supporting characters’ inability to change, still remaining the same people with the same characteristics, is repeated throughout the text. The theme of Hundert’s tendency to cling to the past because the future is uncomfortable to him, is mentioned an innumerable amount of times. There is also a recurring theme of Sedgewick manipulation of others

On page 188, it states, “The most poignant part of all, however, was how plainly the faces of the men still showed the eager expressiveness of the first- form boys of forty-one years ago.” This shows how all of the boys still have the same expression and aura that they possessed when they were younger. Hundert and Sedgewick have also ended up the same way. On page 189, it states, “But of course it was Sedgewick Bell who commanded everyone’s attention,” and “He was the host and clearly in his element.” This shows how Sedgewick, manipulative and charismatic even as a child, commands the same authority and respect that he did as a child at St. Benedict’s. Hundert displays how he has remained with similar characteristics to those of when he was teaching this class at St. Benedict’s with the quote, “I seemed to be in the throes of an affection for him that had long been under wraps.” Hundert is still under the control and manipulation of Sedgewick, and after all this time, he still feels an extreme amount of pity for Sedgewick and his circumstances, even though Sedgewick doesn’t need it; he has failed to get rid of his obsession of living vicariously through