The Fly in the Ointment
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Themes
All Themes Fathers and Sons Optimism, Ambition, and Happiness Self-Delusion
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Harold The Father
Symbols
All Symbols The Fly
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The Fly in the Ointment

by

V. S. Pritchett

The Fly in the Ointment Symbols

The Fly

The fly that appears in the father’s office represents the father’s own tendency to spoil every fantasy with his intractable greed. Pritchett alerts us to the fly’s significance by titling his story “The Fly…

read analysis of The Fly

The Fly Symbol Icon
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