...I've been thinking all day about what you said this morning.The Shop Around the Corner · 1940 — Chapter 9 of 19 · 6'07" · B1
Matuschek Fires Kralik, Explained: of one's own accord
Kralik is called into the office expecting a talk, and gets a farewell instead. Matuschek apologizes for his temper, then says Kralik would be "happier somewhere else." The letter he hands over says Kralik leaves "of his own accord," which is the polite fiction the whole scene turns on.
What happens
Matuschek summons Kralik, his first salesman of nine years, into the office and delivers the news sideways: he believes Kralik would be happier elsewhere. Kralik accepts it, signs for a month's pay, and takes a letter of recommendation. He then says goodbye to each co-worker and admits he cannot face meeting his correspondent tonight.
Listen for
lost my tempermight just as wellbe in no mood to do somethingof one's own accord
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Now
Phrase of the scene
of one's own accord
willingly, without being forced or asked
推荐信里写着克拉利克是自愿离职，把一场辞退写成了他自己的选择，表面客气，实际是在撇清公司。
She left the company of her own accord.
Also in this scene
- lost my temper
to suddenly become angry
- might just as well
used to suggest doing something since nothing better is left
- be in no mood to do something
to not feel like doing something at all
Everything marked in this scene
51 notes across 78 lines
to suddenly become angry
I'm afraid I lost my temper.I...I really believe that you'd be happier somewhere else.Yes, I-I'm sure of it....guess there's nothing more to be said.You're naturally entitled to a month's pay.And here, here's a letter which certainly won't handicap you in seeking employment.relative clause with which
And here, here's a letter which certainly won't handicap you in seeking employment.used to suggest doing something since nothing better is left
Well, I guess we might just as well say goodbye.liaison
Well, I guess we might just as well say goodbye."To whom it may concern..willingly, without being forced or asked
"I wish to state that Mr. Alfred Kralik "leaves my employ of his own accord."Mr. Kralik started with Matuschek and Company "nine years ago as an apprentice."Though with diligence, he advanced "to the position of clerk.present perfect for duration
"For the last five years, he has been our first salesman."We have found him reliable "efficient, resourceful."We can recommend him without reserve."He carries with him our best wishes "for his success in his future career."He carries with him our best wishes "for his success in his future career.Kralik, I still can't believe it.Listen, the boss doesn't have to give you a reason.That's one of the wonderful things about being boss....I wanted to get off tonight.No, I couldn't face her tonight.elision
No, I couldn't face her tonight.See, I-I-I'm afraid I sort of exaggerated in my letters.I showed off a little, you know.She's expecting to meet a pretty important man.to not feel like doing something at all
Well, I'm in no mood to act important tonight.Well, I'm in no mood to act important tonight.My dear Kralik I think I speak for all of us, when I say this is a shock and a surprise.My dear Kralik I think I speak for all of us, when I say this is a shock and a surprise.We all feel we are losing a splendid fellow worker and we certainly wish you the luck which you so rightfully deserve.We all feel we are losing a splendid fellow worker and we certainly wish you the luck which you so rightfully deserve.wish someone something
We all feel we are losing a splendid fellow worker and we certainly wish you the luck which you so rightfully deserve.Now, Kralik we are going to see each other soon.If you have an evening with nothing to do..Well, Ilona, I'm going to miss you.liaison
Well, Ilona, I'm going to miss you.Oh, it's nothing unusual.It happens every day.Somebody gets fired and..Somebody gets fired and..Ms. Novak, if I had anything to do with you not getting the evening off I'm sorry. I-- It was my fault anyway that you got into this trouble.Ms. Novak, if I had anything to do with you not getting the evening off I'm sorry. I-- It was my fault anyway that you got into this trouble.- That's alright. - It's true we didn't get along.- No. - I guess we fought a lot.But losing a job at a time like this is something you don't wish-- On your worst enemy.But losing a job at a time like this is something you don't wish-- On your worst enemy.I didn't say that, Mr. Kralik.Well, let's not quarrel anymore.Matuschek Fires Kralik, explained
What's really going on
The scene never says the word. Matuschek wraps a dismissal in an apology and a compliment, which is why the blow lands so softly: "I really believe that you'd be happier somewhere else." Kralik, who spent the morning arguing with him, does not fight it. The recommendation letter completes the fiction, praising his nine years and stating that he "leaves my employ of his own accord." The comedy is bitter here: a man loses the job that gave him, as he puts it, "a position, a future," and must thank everyone on the way out. The co-workers' remarks, that "the boss doesn't have to give you a reason," turn the private sting into a general truth about working life, and Kralik's real fear is smaller and more human — that the woman he corresponds with expects a far more important man.
Theme
PowerThe boss can end a nine-year career with one gentle sentence, and the staff joke that not giving a reason is a perk of the job.
MoneyThe goodbye is settled in pengo: a month's pay, a signed receipt, and a letter meant to protect his next paycheck.
What you'll learn
- Use be entitled to for owed benefits
- Hear without reserve as strong praise
- Catch the double meaning of get off
- Use lose my temper to admit anger
Listen for
- might just as well — liaison
- couldn't face her — elision
- going to miss you — liaison
Listen, the boss doesn't have to give you a reason.A co-worker's blunt consolation: being in charge means never having to explain a decision, so asking why is pointless.
That's one of the wonderful things about being boss.Dry sarcasm. The "wonderful thing" is that power frees the boss from any obligation to be fair.
You see, this morning I had a position, a future.Kralik measures what he lost in a single day: not just a job but the whole shape of his life, now gone.
Well, I guess we might just as well say goodbye.A resigned closing line. There is nothing left to negotiate, so the farewell is said with a shrug rather than anger.
Questions about this scene
Why does Matuschek fire Kralik so politely?
He has decided Kralik must go but wants to avoid a scene. Turning the dismissal into advice about being happier somewhere else lets both men keep their dignity and keeps the shop calm.
Does Kralik quit, or is he fired?
He is effectively fired. Matuschek tells him he would be happier elsewhere and Kralik accepts it. The letter, however, says he leaves of his own accord, so on paper it looks like a resignation.
Why does the recommendation letter say Kralik left of his own accord?
It protects Kralik's reputation when he looks for another job. A letter that admits he was dismissed would make employers wary, so the shop gives him a spotless account of nine loyal years.
What is Kralik afraid of at the end of the scene?
He is supposed to meet the woman he has been writing to, but he has boasted in his letters and she expects an important man. Now that he has lost his position, he feels he cannot face her.
Why do the co-workers make jokes about being fired?
It is their way of handling an awkward situation. Lines like "the boss doesn't have to give you a reason" acknowledge how little power they have, and laughing about it keeps the farewell from becoming unbearable.
The Shop Around the Corner · 19 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 10mind your own businessMatuschek Learns of the Affair
Chapter 1make something out of nothingMorning Gossip at Matuschek's
Chapter 2earn one's daily breadThe Anonymous Letter From Box 237
Chapter 3make up your mindMatuschek's Singing Cigarette Box
Chapter 4go through the whole routineA Job Seeker's Sales Pitch
Chapter 5have a weakness forSelling the Musical Candy Box
Chapter 6knock on woodKralik Reveals His Pen Pal
Chapter 7pick on someoneMatuschek Turns on Kralik
Chapter 8call it a dayKlara Asks Kralik for a Night Off
Watching · Chapter 9of one's own accordMatuschek Fires Kralik
Chapter 10mind your own businessMatuschek Learns of the Affair
Chapter 11had enough bad news for todayKralik's Blind Date Is Miss Novak
Chapter 12instead of a heart, a handbagKralik and Novak Meet at the Cafe
Chapter 13kept in strictest confidenceMatuschek Confesses His Jealousy
Chapter 14a yes manKralik Fires Vadas
Chapter 15not in the same planetKralik Visits a Sick Klara
Chapter 16ruin ChristmasThe Staff Choose Christmas Gifts
Chapter 17from the bottom of my heartMatuschek Returns on Christmas Eve
Chapter 18your whole life ahead of youMatuschek Invites a Lonely Boy Home
Chapter 19swept me off my feetKlara Confesses to KralikChapter 9 of 19 · about 44 min to go