#644 The Usher- Felisberto Hernandez
An usher at an old-fashioned movie theatre believes himself to be special, something better than a mere usher. He “knew how to bow at once with respect and contempt.” While he went about working and exploring the city, he developed a delusion. Most of us may believe we have an inner-light, but his was an actual light that could make him see things in the dark.
Like many working class people who believe themselves to be better than their station, this usher focused his “power” on a wealthy man and his estate. He convinced the estate’s butler to allow him inside at night to illuminate things in the dark, believing that the wealthy man’s things to be more interesting than his own.
What makes this a fable is the lesson that it teaches. Maybe this usher did have an inner-light that made his special. Who’s to say? When he used it to for diligence and being good at his job, he was making his way to bigger and better things. He was making money and enjoying himself. When he fell to delusions of grandeur, worrying not about himself but coveting what others had, he lost his job and his enjoyment of life.
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