From Wishes to Service

This thread follows Nelson Silversmith’s accumulation of comforts and his eventual decision to exchange possession for a place in Maginnis’s work.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Casual Offer

Three Free Requests Maginnis makes a proposition Terence Maginnis offers Silversmith three wishes without asking for payment. Silversmith responds calmly and requests a hi-fi system. A life of easy acquisition The wishes begin as an unusual bargain rather than a moral test. Silversmith’s willingness to accept them sets him on a course of rapid material change.

Comforts Multiply

More Than the Original Deal Successive gifts Maginnis supplies a Ferrari, a rent-controlled triplex, a boat, and further wishes. Silversmith’s requests are moderate enough that Maginnis repeatedly rewards him. Wealth without resistance Silversmith wonders whether there is a catch but continues to accept the gifts. The accumulation makes extraordinary abundance feel ordinary.

The World Becomes Tedious

Possession Fails to Satisfy Luxury loses its force Silversmith owns fine homes, servants, food, and access to beautiful companions, yet he is bored. Each new pleasure disappoints beside the perfection he imagined. A question of happiness He recognizes that owning more has not made him happy. The recognition is difficult because he has no immediate alternative to the cycle of acquiring and losing interest.

The Empty Glass

A Small Failure in Abundance Servants cannot hurry enough Silversmith discovers that his glass is empty and waits while an elaborate service routine takes more than twelve minutes. His complaint reveals how luxury has made ordinary inconvenience intolerable. An insight arrives As he reaches for the servant’s bell, he realizes that wealth alone cannot provide happiness. He also rejects the idea that renouncing possessions will automatically solve the problem.

A Place on Maginnis’s Team

From Customer to Donor A request for belonging Silversmith asks to join Maginnis’s organization and offers his remaining wishes and worldly goods. He has noticed that Maginnis appears happier than he is. The meaning of the gift Maginnis reveals that the organization is not what Silversmith imagined and welcomes him to heaven. Silversmith recognizes the deception but accepts the outcome without complaint.

An October afternoon in Greenwich Village

During the weeks after the first wish

Two months after the Riviera visit

During the night in his Roman apartment

After Maginnis finds Silversmith in New York