The History of Mr. Polly

A failing outfitter's shop, an unhappy marriage, and a talent for comic language define Alfred Polly's cramped life in Edwardian England. H. G. Wells's The History of Mr. Polly follows an ordinary man whose imagination remains lively even as work, money, and habit leave him convinced that he has taken every wrong turn.

The novel looks backward from his misery in the fictional Kent town of Fishbourne. An early apprenticeship in the drapery trade, limited schooling, and marriage to his cousin Miriam Larkins lead him into a business he despises. When a desperate act produces consequences he never intended, Polly recognizes that Fishbourne is not the whole world and abandons the life that has trapped him.

His wandering brings him to the Potwell Inn, where a conflict with the threatening Uncle Jim demands a courage Polly has never credited himself with possessing. Wells treats this transformation without polishing away his antihero's vanity, confusion, or moral compromises. Verbal invention gives Polly a defense against dullness, and action slowly tests whether escape can become responsibility. The result combines social comedy with a compassionate study of failure, showing contentment as something found through disruptive choices instead of respectable plans.