A Civil Servant
The story revolves around a young American who becomes disillusioned with the corruption and inefficiency of the government bureaucracy. He decides to take a stand by refusing to accept a bribe, which leads to his dismissal from office. The protagonist's actions spark a wave of public outrage, prompting widespread reforms and ultimately leading to the creation of a more honest and efficient civil service system.
By Edward Everett Hale · First published 1890 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Political Fiction, Literary Fiction · 8,068 words
First lines
President Madison was fond of telling the story of a visit made to him by one of his supporters. After due introductory discussion of the weather and the state of parties, the voter explained to the President that he had called upon him to ask for the office of Chief Justice of the United States.
What this Textopian page supports
A Civil Servant is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edward Everett Hale, dated 1890 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edward Everett Hale
- Date: 1890 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Political Fiction, Literary Fiction, Social Commentary, Drama
- Length: 8,068 words
- Structure: 1 section, 127 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Civil Servant by Edward Everett Hale
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Civil Servant?
- How does this short story by Edward Everett Hale fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Historical Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The plot is set in a historical context with fictional elements.
- Political Fiction — Themes revolve around political events and civil service.
- Literary Fiction — Focuses on character development and stylistic writing.
- Social Commentary — Addresses social issues and critiques societal norms.
Tags
American Literature · 19th Century · Novel · Satire · Social Commentary · Government · Bureaucracy · Politics · Society · Culture · Humor · Irony