Worth 10,000 by Irvin S. Cobb (1923)
The story revolves around a man who wins $10,000 in a lottery and decides to use the money to help those in need. He sets out on a journey across the country, distributing the funds to various individuals and organizations, often with unexpected consequences. Along the way, he encounters a range of characters, from the downtrodden to the corrupt, forcing him to confront the complexities of human nature and the true meaning of wealth.
By Irvin S. Cobb · First published 1923 · Genre: Humor, Short Story, Satire · 18,341 words
First lines
You might have called Vincent C. Marr a self-made man and be making no mistake about it. For he was self-made; not merely self-assembled, as so many men are who attain distinction in this profession or that calling. Entirely through his own efforts, with only his native wit to light the way for him, he had pulled himself up, step by step, from the very bottom of his trade to the very top of it. His trade was the applied trade of crookedness; his pursuit the pursuit of other folks' cash resources. He had the envy and admiration of his friends in allied branches of the same general industry; he had the begrudged respect of his official enemies, the police; while his accomplishments -- the tricks he pulled, the coups he scored, the purses he garnered -- were discussed and praised by the human nits and lice of the Seamy Side, just as the achievements in a legitimate field of a Hill or a Schwab or a Rockefeller might be talked of among petty shopkeepers and little business men. He had, as the phrase goes, everything -- imagination, resource, ingenuity, audacity, utter ruthlessness.
What this Textopian page supports
Worth 10,000 is listed on Textopian as a short story by Irvin S. Cobb, dated 1923 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Irvin S. Cobb
- Date: 1923 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Humor, Short Story, Satire, Fiction
- Length: 18,341 words
- Structure: 1 section, 190 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Worth 10,000 by Irvin S. Cobb
- 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 Worth 10,000?
- How does this short story by Irvin S. Cobb fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Humor first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Humor — The book primarily uses comedic elements and wit to engage the reader.
- Short Story — The narrative is structured as a concise and self-contained story.
- Satire — The work employs satire to critique and entertain through exaggeration and irony.
- Fiction — The story is a work of fiction, presenting imaginary events and characters.
Tags
Adventure · Humor · Satire · Social Commentary · American Literature · Novel · Comedy · Farce · Romance · Mystery · Crime Fiction · Pulp Fiction