Bakery No Credit

Bakery No Credit is a recurring informal rule in Knut Hamsun's Hunger that governs the protagonist's access to food, reflecting the broader economic and social exclusion he faces. The rule manifests in multiple interactions where the protagonist is denied credit or forced into humiliating transactions, underscoring his poverty and the rigid, unforgiving nature of the society he inhabits.

Definition and Appearance

The rule is not a formal statute but an unwritten social and economic code that operates in the world of the novel. It is first encountered when the protagonist, starving and desperate, attempts to buy food at a grocer's shop. He throws a sixpence on the counter and asks for "a piece of cheese and a French roll." The woman behind the counter asks, "Bread and cheese for the whole of it?" and he confirms, "For the whole sixpence? Yes." This exchange establishes that even a small purchase requires immediate payment; there is no possibility of credit. The rule is later reinforced when the protagonist, having no money, cannot even enter a café to sit down. He reflects that he "could not visit a cafe with empty pockets," highlighting how the rule excludes him from basic social spaces. The rule also applies to the protagonist's landlady, who demands payment in advance. She leaves a slip of paper on his table, "in which she begged me to pay my rent in advance, or else move as soon as I could." This demand for prepayment is a direct consequence of the protagonist's inability to pay, and it forces him to leave his room.

Operation and Consequences

The rule operates through a series of refusals and humiliations that the protagonist endures. When he tries to pawn his waistcoat, the pawnbroker offers only "One-and-six," a paltry sum that barely buys a meal. The protagonist's attempt to get a bone for a dog from a butcher is a desperate act of deception to obtain food. He says, "Ah, will you be kind enough to give me a bone for my dog?" and receives a bone with a morsel of meat, but he vomits when he tries to eat it. The rule also manifests in the protagonist's interactions with the police. When he is homeless and seeks shelter, a policeman tells him, "Well then, you must go to the guard-house and report yourself as homeless!" This is a formal procedure that offers a bed but no food, and the protagonist is denied a breakfast ticket because he lies about his identity. The rule's most devastating consequence is the protagonist's theft of five shillings from a shopkeeper. He is given change for a crown when he only paid for a candle, and he takes the money. This act of theft is a direct result of his hunger and the impossibility of obtaining credit. He later confesses to the shopkeeper, but the man does not press charges, only saying, "It was a mean enough thing of you to do!" The protagonist's attempt to return the money by giving it to a cake woman is a futile gesture that does not undo the harm.

Connections and Significance

The rule is deeply connected to the protagonist's identity and his struggle for survival. It is a manifestation of the economic system that excludes him, forcing him into a cycle of hunger, theft, and humiliation. The rule also reflects the protagonist's internal conflict between his desire to maintain his honor and his desperate need for food. He repeatedly tells himself that he is "honourable to his finger-tips," but the rule forces him to compromise his principles. The rule is also linked to the novel's broader themes of poverty, madness, and the failure of social institutions. The protagonist's hunger drives him to the brink of insanity, and the rule prevents him from finding any stable solution. The rule's significance is underscored by the protagonist's final act of signing on to a ship, the Copégoro, as a way to escape the city and its unforgiving rules. The rule, in its various forms, is a constant reminder of the protagonist's marginalization and the impossibility of his situation.