Refund Essay

Refund

-- Fritz Karinthy

Introduction: The play “Refund” is a synthesis of humour and satire. Fritz Karinthy, a Hungarian dramatist, criticizes the present system of education, which does not prepare students for their career.

Wasserkopf: The main character in the play is Wasserkopf. Wasserkopf in German means one with a “waterhead,” an eccentric person. He is forty years old, yet he remains unemployed. Wherever he goes, the people tell him that he is fit for nothing. They tell him that he has not learnt anything in his school.

Leaderer’s Advice: One day Wasserkopf meets his friend, Leaderer, in the street. He asks him about his business. Leaderer talks about foreign exchange and Hungarian money. Wasserkopf is not able to understand anything and starts asking questions about foreign exchange. Leaderer says that Wasserkopf has not learnt anything and therefore he should go to his school to get his tuition fees back. Wasserkopf, who is jobless and does not have any finance, finds this idea as something beneficial to him and so he goes to the school where he studied once in order to demand his tuition fees back.

Meeting with the Principal: When he asks for the refund of his tuition fees, the Principal is shocked because after eighteen years he has come to the school thinking that he has learnt nothing worthwhile. The Principal calls for an urgent meeting with all other staff members. They decide to keep a re-examination for Wasserkopf and agree that whatever answer he gives they will prove him right.  

Re-Examination: One by one each teacher questions him and justified his wrong answer to be correct one and they mark him excellent. Though Wasserkopf gives wrong answers and use abuse words to each teacher, they don’t show their anger because they have to prove him as an excellent student. Finally, the Mathematics Master says that he will ask an easy question and a difficult question. The first question is about the speed of light. Wasserkopf gives wrong answer and so the Mathematics Master gets angry and says that he has failed in his examination.  Then he tells Wasserkopf that he deserves the refund of tuition fees and asks him the “difficult” question -- “ How much do we owe you?” Wasserkopf, without knowing that he is going to fall into their trap, says that it is 5682 crowns and 38 heller. Now the Mathematics Master says that was his difficult question. Wasserkopf is declared to have passed the examination.

Conclusion: The play deals with an extraordinarily ludicrous situation. It also shows the ability of the teachers to manage the situation and how they tackle Wasserkopf without spoiling the reputation of their school.