Summary of Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture

Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture

Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture is the narrator’s amusing account of how his family dealt with mundane tasks. The story revolves around Uncle Podger’s method for hanging a picture on the wall. During this process, the entire house is agitated. He was filled with self-assurance because he believed he was the greatest candidate for the job. Uncle Podger chose to hang a picture that had arrived from the framers. He removed his coat and directed the girl to bring nails, followed by one of the boys who dashed over to tell her the size of the nails. He yelled that he needed a hammer and that he would have Tom bring him a ruler. Simultaneously, he mentioned the stepladder, kitchen chair, spirit level, picture cord, and picture to everyone else in the house.
When Uncle Podgers lifted the picture, he dropped it, shattering the glass and injuring himself. In his pain, he looked for his handkerchief, which he had stored in the pocket of his coat, which he had removed. He could not remember where he would kept the coat. He soon discovered he was sitting on his it. He chastised others for being ineffective while spending half an hour binding his finger with a handkerchief.
Along with the other items, a new glass frame for the photo arrived. Everyone in the home, including the girl and the cleaning lady, formed a semi-circle as Uncle Podger climbed the ladder. Each member of the family assisted him in climbing the ladder and providing the nail and hammer. Unfortunately, Uncle Podger dropped the nail, and everyone started looking for it. The hammer went missing as soon as the nail was discovered. He chastised all seven members. Finally, when they located the hammer, Uncle Podger would forget where he had marked it. For their suggestions, he labelled the others as “fools.” He took the ruler and remeasured it, almost madly trying to compute it.

While measuring, he tripped and fell, landing on a piano. His rage was intense, and he used harsh language. However, he attempted to nail the wall again and broke his thumb with the hammer. The hammer landed on someone is toes, causing them to scream in agony. Aunt Maria, Uncle Podger’s wife, adds that the next time her husband planned to hammer a nail, she would spend a week with her mother until he finished the job. This is done to make fun of Uncle Podger’s sloppiness.

Uncle Podger observes that women are concerned about everything, and he enjoys hanging the painting. The indefatigable guy hammered the nail, causing damage to the wall. However, it was now beyond midnight and the painting was crookedly hanging. The rest of the wall appeared to be ruined. Except for Uncle Podger, the rest of the family was tired and unhappy. He appeared to be really content and pleased with his work.

He concludes by asking why anyone would hire a professional to do something as simple as hang a picture. He is oblivious to the anguish he has caused all of the family members. Thus, the writer Jerome K. Jerome depicts people who are willing to do a work but put it on the backs of others.