Love is a Fallacy

Summary

In this humorous dialogue, a law student becomes obsessed with obtaining a raccoon coat, a fashionable trend among college students. He strikes a deal with his friend, Petey, to exchange the coat for a date with Petey's girlfriend, Polly. The student hopes to teach Polly logic and intellectualism, seeing her as a potential ideal wife. However, Polly quickly learns logical fallacies and, ironically, uses them against him, rejecting his advances in favor of Petey, who already has the coveted raccoon coat.

Takeaways

• 🦝 The character desperately wants a raccoon coat because it's the new trend on campus.
• 📚 The character regrets spending all their money on textbooks instead of buying a raccoon coat.
• 🤔 A raccoon coat is seen as a symbol of social status, especially among the 'big men' on campus.
• 🤢 Another character points out that raccoon coats are unsanitary and smelly, but this is ignored.
• 💼 The main character is determined to date Polly Espie, not out of love, but for strategic reasons related to his future success as a lawyer.
• 👩‍🎓 Polly is described as graceful but unintelligent, and the main character believes he can improve her intelligence.
• 🧠 The main character starts teaching Polly logic, hoping to improve her thinking abilities.
• 🤯 Polly struggles to grasp the logical fallacies at first, but gradually begins to understand them.
• 💔 Despite his efforts, Polly ultimately rejects the main character’s romantic advances, citing logical fallacies he taught her.
• 🦝 Polly chooses to go steady with Petey Bellows, primarily because he has a raccoon coat, which highlights the superficial nature of her decision.

Q & A

What is the main character's initial dilemma in the script?

The main character is upset because raccoon coats have come back into fashion, and he cannot afford one since he spent all his money on textbooks.

Why does the main character desire a raccoon coat so badly?

He wants a raccoon coat to fit in with the 'big men on campus' who are wearing them, as it's seen as a status symbol.

What does the main character offer Petey in exchange for the raccoon coat?

The main character offers to set Petey up with his girl, Polly Espie, in exchange for the raccoon coat.

Why does the main character want to be with Polly Espie?

He desires Polly for a calculated reason, believing that having a beautiful, intelligent, and gracious wife will benefit his future as a successful lawyer.

What is the main problem the character encounters with Polly?

Polly is not intelligent, and the main character is disappointed, believing he can teach her to be smarter through logic lessons.

How does the main character attempt to improve Polly's intelligence?

He teaches her logic, focusing on fallacies like 'Dicto Simpliciter,' 'Hasty Generalization,' and 'Ad Misericordiam' in an effort to improve her thinking.

Does Polly learn the logical fallacies the main character teaches her?

Yes, Polly learns the fallacies well and even uses them against the main character during their conversations.

What is Polly's response when the main character asks her to go steady with him?

Polly rejects him, stating she already promised to go steady with Petey Bellows.

What logical fallacy does the main character commit when he argues Polly should choose him over Petey?

The main character commits 'Poisoning the Well' by trying to discredit Petey as a liar, cheat, and idiot to convince Polly to choose him.

Why does Polly ultimately choose to go steady with Petey Bellows instead of the main character?

Polly chooses Petey because he has a raccoon coat, which the main character failed to recognize as her primary motivator.