We are all governed by madmen

Among other things, Summer Lightning features the return of Lord Emsworth’s former secretary to the castle.  The efficient Baxter is probably one of the more sane individuals ever to inhabit Blandings Castle.  During his tenure, correspondences were dispatched in a timely manner and document signed, with the result that Lord Emsworth spent far too little time with his beloved prize-winning pig, the Empress of Blandings.  It is probably because of his even-tempered approach to Lord Emsworth’s business affairs that he is the only one to be out rightly accused of insanity.  His dismissal followed an episode when he was caught throwing flower pots at his employer’s window in the dead of night.  Unfortunately for Baxter, his activities following his return follow in a similar vein. 

The world of Wodehouse is ruled by those who might be called slightly unhinged.  Although stern types such as lord Emsworth’s sister of Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Agatha try to impose reason on their nearest and dearest, the truth is that they often fail in this quest.  While this might seem to be a comic inversion of the “real world,” the longer that I reside on this planet, the more I am convinced that it is only a slight exaggeration of our reality.  Spode might seem to be an amusing figure with his interest in lingerie, but were he to annex the Crimea, we might be singing a different tune.

While I was reading, I felt torn.  I was rooting, as always, for Baxter’s downfall.  At the same time, I had to admit to myself that, of all of Wodehouse’s characters, he might be the one who comes closest to me in personality.  It made me wonder if the same could be said of a number of people.  There are very few real life risk-takers in this world.  Most of us prefer to keep our heads down and get on with things.  According to Wodehouse, this approach to life results in ridicule and being kept from what one truly wants.  Better to be considered slightly eccentric than to be doomed to a life of efficient mediocrity.  After all, upright behavior can get you kicked out of the castle.