Narrate
Lamb’s feelings after his sudden retirement in ‘The Superannuated Man’.
Charles Lamb in “The Superannuated Man” has
given an account of his feeling before and after his retirement. Lamb served as
a clerk for long thirty-six years and then retired. Lamb’s life as a clerk was
tedious and boring. He, however, had a respite from work on a Sunday every
week.
But according to him Sundays were quite unsuitable for true relaxation and enjoyment. Sundays being the days of worship and religious meditation, offered little scope for enjoyment. The atmosphere was shrouded in gloom and somberness. Hence it was not congenial to proper recreation. Besides, Sunday being a day of complete abstention from all works there was no noise and bustle in any street. Besides Sundays, there were also holidays. But these also proved useless. Planning and preparation for enjoyment of these holidays took up so much time that only a very short period was left out for actual pleasure. The drudgery of the office was soul killing and it told on his health. In the latter part of his professional life constant anxiety and painful nights troubled him greatly. He was oppressed with a fear that his mental powers were declining and he was afraid that he made some serious mistakes in handling the figures in the account books kept by him. His perpetual worries would be read by everyday on his countenance and indeed his health was fast breaking down. When lying on bed at night he was mentally working out the very figures dealt with by him during the day. He was always apprehensive of some incorrect entry in the accounts. Thus he was depressed by the lifeless work at the clerk’s desk.
