The Chaser"
Main Characters
In the short story, "The Chaser" by John Collier, there are 2 main characters. One main character is a love struck man named Alan Austin who is desperate to get the love of his life, Diana, to feel the same way back. The man seeks a love potion, which would make Diana head over heels in love with him after consuming it. The second main character in the short story is the old apothocary who sells the potions. The old man seems intelligent and wise to the younger man, but to the reader, the apothocary can seem like a tricky fellow, who is really trying to get the younger mans money.
Theme
In the short story, "The Chaser" the overall theme is love and its deceiving ways. Alan wants Diana to fall in love with him, but since she hasn't, he is desperate enough to go to the apothocary to get the love potion. Love is meant to be natural, but Alan ignores that. When the old man explains to Allen all the effects of the love potion, Alan finds them all as wonderful things. He does not realize that the strength of the potion could cause him to leave Diana, or even want "the life cleaner" to kill her. Love can be deceiving in many ways. Many people see love as romantic dinners, flowers and chocolate, but it means much more than that. There are many different ways to express love, but being tricked or forced into it like Alan plans to do, is not true love.
Conflict
In John Collier's short story, "The Chaser", there is major internal conflict with the main character Alan, struggling to achieve love from his girlfriend, Diana. Alan is desperate to win Diana's affection, but sadly he needs the help of the love potion to get that. Another possible conflict that is hinted to in the story is over-affection from Diana. The apothecary explains to Alan all of the outcomes of the love mixture, and it just excites Alan more and more. "How carefully she will look after you! She will never allow you to be tired, to sit in a draught, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late, she will be terrified. She will think you are killed, or that some siren has caught you." This is said by the old man, explaining some of the effects of the potion. Even though they all seem wonderful to Alan, they may overwhelm him in the future, causing him to purchase the "Life Cleaner", to get rid of her unwanted attention. This is possibly the apothacary's plan the whole time.
Literary Elements
John Collier uses literary elements to help his short story "The Chaser" become better understood. One literary device used is foreshadowing. The old man in the story keeps referring back to the life cleaner, trickily suggesting that it may be needed in the future. The apothocary explains the many effects of the love potion, but tries to hint on how those things could become overwhelming and bad. "If I did not sell love potions," said the old man, reaching for another bottle, "I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in a position to oblige that one can afford to be so confidential." This is said by the elderly man, suggesting that the use of the love potion may also lead to the use of the life cleaner. A second literary element is imagery. The author uses few words to describe the location of the characters, but it is a clear picture to the readers on where they are and what's going on. He pushed open this door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-coloured walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars. This is the setting described to the reader to get a better understanding. A third literary device in the short story is dramatic irony. The reader knows why the old man makes the love potion so cheap, and the life cleaner so expensive, but Alan has no clue what is even intended.
Quote
"'If I did not sell love potions' said the old man, reaching for another bottle, 'I should have not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in position to oblige that one can afford to be so confidential." This quote is stated by the apothocary in the short story "The Chaser" by John Collier.
What is meant by the quote is that if the old man did not think that the "life cleaner" was necessary for use after the love potion, he wouldnt even have spoken of it. The love potion is intended to make someone head over heels in love with the person who gave it to them. But as the apothocary said, they may become obsessed with the other person. This overobsession may cause the person to want the life cleaner, and since the apothocary has already mentioned it, it will already be in mind.