Summary Of The Foster Portfolio By Kurt Vonnegut

“The Foster Portfolio,” is a short story piece within Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome To The Monkey House. Differentiating the piece from the others is the ironic touch “The Foster Portfolio” seems to carry that is different from Vonnegut’s short comically audacious works. Vonnegut realized this is a materialistic world where people evaluated by their physical features, and possessions of the moment. Small details such as what shoes are being worn, what kind of car stands in the driveway, and how one is attired is speculated before partaking in a conversation with them. Within the introduction of each character they are described using the objects around them, attire, physical attributes, and social standing is made clear to the reader. Therefore,

this is a story about appearances, and what is truly hiding beneath them. The storyline exemplifies the challenge of human nature in a materialistic driven society and the lengths to which one will go to indulge in their true passions.
Herbert Foster’s wife is found her in her niche. Portrayed as a scrawny, “shrewish- looking woman” that has a dulled out smile, and she is first presented surrounded by unfolded clean laundry. The narrator has difficulty distinguishing her features from the “clash” around her. Painting her into the scene around her, hard to peel her out of. That is her life of a family bound, god-fearing housewife and that’s where she belongs. She represents being restricted by the appearance she upholds.
Most people would like to make so much money they will never have to work another day in their lives and afford sumptuous things.

Vonnegut construes Jim’s occupation is evaluating bond value and handling large sums money for a living, as a result he is superficial and judges based on the bountifulness he sees. Although he does not seem to have acquired any substantial amount of money, he adopts the appearance of a victorious businessman because of the desperation he has that one day he will become one. “Since I don’t have a portfolio, my job is a little like being a hungry delivery boy for a candy store” (Vonnegut 59). He puts on a clean fake façade of the man he really wants to

be.
This story promotes the reader to look past monetary value and seek a true pleasure in life no matter the cost.

Vonnegut hopes to reach out to the common working class, the ones that are constantly seeking improvement in terms of material luxuriance. Upon meeting his new client, Jim's shallow views are tested. Because Herbert’s lifestyle is quite humble, Jim is forced to look within and doubt his life choices. Herbert Foster appears as a conservative man with strict moral values. Herbert resorts to living a lie because he is overcome with desperation to conserve his impoverished status so he can consequently retain his guilty life pleasure concealed. Although he most certainly does not need to, considering the inheritance bestowed.

“Herbert already had what he wanted. He had had it long before the inheritance or I intruded. He had the respectability his mother had hammered into him. But just as priceless as that was an income not quite big enough to go around. It left him no alternative but… to play piano in a dive, and breathe smoke, and drink gin, to be
Firehouse Harris, his father’s son, three nights out of seven.” (Vonnegut

73-74)

Herbert Foster lives his dream, he has what he wants and he doesn’t care the cost he pays every day of having a jerrybuilt home, furniture from a discount mart, secondhand car, and eating out of a brown-bag lunch sandwiches made with the less expensive spread. His love for jazz music in a dusty, smoky honky tonk looking dive supersedes his self-control. As it said it is not a disgrace to live that way; Many Americans do in fact. Foster exemplifies the lifestyle of the American middle lower class and the contentment of having a simple guilty pleasure. Even if it is despicable and is contrary from our own held values. Which explains the fact mister Foster feels the need to uphold such a façade.