Chapter 8 - The Hack Driver

This article will help you to learn about the summary, characters and themes in the story “The Hack Driver”.

Synopsis 

This story is about a young lawyer who is too innocent. He goes to a village to serve to summon to a person called Lutkins. At the railway station, he meets a person who identifies himself as Bill. Bill appears to know everyone in the village and promises to search Lutkins for the lawyer. He takes the lawyer for a ride and dupes him off lots of money. But after a six-hour-long search, they do not find Lutkins. Next day, when the lawyer goes to the village with one of his colleagues, he discovers that it was Lutkins who posed as Bill on the previous day. Everyone, except the lawyer, has a hearty laugh at the predicament of the lawyer.

Character List 

Oliver Lutkins – Lutkins, a resident of New Mullion, is a witness in a law case. He is a clever man as he easily takes the lawyer into confidence and shows him all around the town with a fake intention of helping him find Oliver Lutkins. He is a middle-aged, friendly hack driver.

The young lawyer – Also, the narrator is an ambitious young man who is unhappy with his job. He doesn’t like city life and often thinks of running away to his hometown. He is also gullible as he trusts Bill easily and is thus fooled by him.

Themes 

‘The Hack Driver’ is the story of a very cunning manipulator Bill (Oliver Lutkins). It also shows that appearances are often deceptive. Once, the narrator, a junior clerk in a law firm, had to go to New Mullion to serve summons to Oliver Lutkins. There he met Bill (Oliver Lutkins), the hack driver. When the narrator asked about Oliver Lutkins, Bill took him to Fritz who replied that Oliver had been there a little while ago. Bill, who was Oliver Lutkins himself, made a plan to befool the narrator. In a very friendly but subtle way, Bill manipulated the tour, taking the lawyer around the village. He arranged meetings with Fritz, Gustaf’s shop owner, a barber etc. Then Bill took him to Oliver Lutkins’ mother who was a terrible, huge woman who threatened to beat them. At last, he returned disappointed. He couldn’t trace Oliver Lutkins. His boss rebuked him badly and asked him to go back to New Mullion with a person who knew Lutkins. When they reached there, he found Bill and Lutkins’ mother together. The man recognised Lutkins. He told that Bill no one but Lutkins himself.

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