Overthinking: Arnold Bennett’s Short Story ‘Catching the Train’

Overthinking: Arnold Bennett’s Short Story ‘Catching the Train’
With an eye on the clock and a hopeful attitude, many a difficult situation can be overcome. This vintage Waltham pocket watch from 1899 resembles many pocket watches worn by men at the time. Tm/CC BY-SA 2.0
Kate Vidimos
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Making plans for any event can be extremely overwhelming. Nevertheless, in his short story “Catching the Train,” Arnold Bennett emphasizes the importance of perseverance and calmness in the preparation and execution of any event. As he follows two brothers as they try to catch a train, Bennett demonstrates that overthinking disables people’s perceptions and inhibits their ability to complete a task.

On Time

Arthur Cotterill wakes up, but finds himself in a complete panic when he looks at the clock. The clock shows 6:50 and the train leaves at 7:10 a.m. However, the journey to the train station takes 10 minutes, not to mention Arthur and his brother Simeon need to dress, finish packing, and wait for the porter to come pick up their luggage.

Fear and dread grip Arthur’s heart and mind. He lays paralyzed in bed for a moment, still dreading that he won’t make the train. Finally, he calls to his brother: “Simeon! ... We’ve missed the train!”

After waking his brother, Arthur begins scrambling to organize his clothing. Yet Simeon calmly pulls out his watch, checks the time, then placidly states: “It’s all right ... Still, you'd better get up. It’s eight minutes to six. We’ve got an hour and 18 minutes.”

Arthur is astonished; he can’t comprehend Simeon’s attitude and words. Simeon explains that he set the clock back an hour the night before, so that they wouldn’t be late. Simeon even admits that he told their housekeeper to prepare the table last night for breakfast this morning.

The St. Pancras international train station is in London, on the corner of Euston Road, near King's Cross Station. (Matlin/CC BY-SA 2.0)
The St. Pancras international train station is in London, on the corner of Euston Road, near King's Cross Station. Matlin/CC BY-SA 2.0
However, Arthur grows more and more nervous as the hour begins to pass by without the appearance of the porter. Even though Simeon begins to get nervous, he proposes that he and Arthur start walking to the train station.

A Little Late

Grabbing a wheelbarrow and placing their luggage in it, Simeon and Arthur set out through London’s cold and icy streets. Arthur’s demeanor remains dubious about their situation, while Simeon walks with complete confidence that they'll make the train on time.

But things soon get worse when the wheelbarrow breaks and Simeon sprains his ankle. They fall only 200 yards from the train station, yet Simeon’s sprained ankle and the broken wheelbarrow prevent the brothers from carrying the luggage any further. Arthur’s anxiety sets back in, and he begins fretting over what to do next.

Simeon’s calm voice breaks into Arthur’s worries with a simple answer: “Do? Why, it’s perfectly simple! You must go without me. Anyhow, run to the station, and try to get the porter down here with another barrow.” With these instructions, Simeon hands Arthur a small, bright object and sends him on his way.

Without Simeon, Arthur successfully boards the train for Knype. Once in Knype, Arthur sprints to catch his connecting train to London. However, after riding on the train for a while, Arthur soon realizes that, in his anxiety, he boarded the wrong connecting train.

Through this story, Bennett encourages the reader to have faith and perseverance when planning and bringing to fruition any event. Moreover, through Simeon’s placidity and Arthur’s anxious mishaps, Bennett highlights the superiority of calmness as opposed to overthinking.

A registry office is one brother's unlikely destination, in "Catching the Train." (steve/CC BY-SA 2.0)
A registry office is one brother's unlikely destination, in "Catching the Train." steve/CC BY-SA 2.0

Through the brothers’ polar-opposite personalities, Bennett shows, just as Confucius says, that, when completing a task, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

Bennett encourages a spirit of perseverance and calmness when completing a task, or in this case, making it to a very important event. For no amount of worry will get the job done.

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Kate Vidimos
Kate Vidimos
Author
Kate Vidimos is a 2020 graduate from the liberal arts college at the University of Dallas, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English. She plans on pursuing all forms of storytelling (specifically film) and is currently working on finishing and illustrating a children’s book.