Original, half-assed synopsis
Dan Feuerbach
English 352
1-30-06
Synopsis
The novel which I am about to begin has no official title. As for right now I have been referring to it as “The Green Quilt of Stupid.” It’s the story of an embalmer, a funereal home director and the accountant who get into a conflict about selling body parts on the black market to medical schools in a city that I have yet to determine.
The novel begins with Everett Gibson, a slow ass kissing embalmer who is good at his job, but doesn’t have good social skills. He wants to deal directly with customers who need funereal arrangements, but his boss and funereal home director, Harvey Kopelson, knows better.
Kopelson uses Gibson as a way to get the grunt, more basic work done, leaving him free to deal with customers and set up funerals. Whenever Gibson approaches Kopelson for more responsibilities, Kopelson changes the topics and Gibson, a bright but inarticulate sycophant, gets confused and returns to the basement to ponder his role in the company and become bitter.
The accountant, Tom Menke, is in charge of arranging payments with clients. He is also in charge of the books. He is the only one with a family, which he loves dearly. He desires that they can have the things he never did in life and has a destructive tendency to live beyond his means. He is good with people and is later given responsibilities to not only figures but work directly with families, eclipsing Gibson.
As debt gets worse with his family, Menke runs into an old friend from college who is the head of a local medical school named Lawrence Sekula. Over drunks Sekula divulges his desperate need for cadavers, whole or partial, at his school. Menke asks for some semblance of how much can be made. When Sekula tells him, he begins to plot a way to get the parts to the school.
Meanwhile, Gibson is getting disgruntled at his job. He isn’t sure how to handle his glass ceiling situation and Kopelson is digging into him more and more. Menke begins to get on his good side by laughing at his jokes, inviting him to dinner and other things along these lines. Gibson is suspicious at first but grows comfortable after a while, thinking he has found a friend, enjoying the human interaction that he has experienced from many other people in his life, including Kopelson.
After a train wreck, business begins to boom. Menke decides to put his plan into action. One night Kopelson tells Menke to lock the place up, he’s going home early. Gibson is furious and vents his frustrations about working late and doing Kopelson’s work. Menke convinces Gibson that he could make enough money selling cadavers to start his own funereal home. This idea appeals to Gibson and he decides to help.
All is going well for the corrupt businessmen. However, one day Kopelson shows up at the wrong time and Gibson cracks. Upon hearing of their creativity, Kopelson decides to join in, but he gets half of the profits since they are using his facilities. The three agree and business continues.
As his debt begins to lessen and things look up, Menke decides to quit because he gets a better job offer. When Kopelson finds out, he makes sure Menke knows that he can’t rat the operation out without getting himself in trouble and, more importantly, embarrassing his family. Menke acknowledges that he is aware of the situation and proceeds to leave. As he walks out the door, he is confronted by Gibson.
Gibson, still thinking that Tom is actually his friends, is worried about being left alone to work with Kopelson. When asked why he wouldn’t quit, Gibson says he doesn’t want to go to jail. Menke says he shouldn’t worry about it since Kopelson will get in trouble too. The two shake hands and go separate ways.
After confronting Kopelson, Gibson discovers he is trapped. Kopelson has the option of not telling anyone since he got in on the scheme late. He never attached his name to anything and merely provided the means to Menke and Gibson’s end.
After this, things spiral out of control. After a series of attempts to resolve the situation peacefully, Gibson and Menke are forced to use physical violence. The particulars are not planned out yet, but the basic ending for the story will involve the death of Harvey Kopelson.
English 352
1-30-06
Synopsis
The novel which I am about to begin has no official title. As for right now I have been referring to it as “The Green Quilt of Stupid.” It’s the story of an embalmer, a funereal home director and the accountant who get into a conflict about selling body parts on the black market to medical schools in a city that I have yet to determine.
The novel begins with Everett Gibson, a slow ass kissing embalmer who is good at his job, but doesn’t have good social skills. He wants to deal directly with customers who need funereal arrangements, but his boss and funereal home director, Harvey Kopelson, knows better.
Kopelson uses Gibson as a way to get the grunt, more basic work done, leaving him free to deal with customers and set up funerals. Whenever Gibson approaches Kopelson for more responsibilities, Kopelson changes the topics and Gibson, a bright but inarticulate sycophant, gets confused and returns to the basement to ponder his role in the company and become bitter.
The accountant, Tom Menke, is in charge of arranging payments with clients. He is also in charge of the books. He is the only one with a family, which he loves dearly. He desires that they can have the things he never did in life and has a destructive tendency to live beyond his means. He is good with people and is later given responsibilities to not only figures but work directly with families, eclipsing Gibson.
As debt gets worse with his family, Menke runs into an old friend from college who is the head of a local medical school named Lawrence Sekula. Over drunks Sekula divulges his desperate need for cadavers, whole or partial, at his school. Menke asks for some semblance of how much can be made. When Sekula tells him, he begins to plot a way to get the parts to the school.
Meanwhile, Gibson is getting disgruntled at his job. He isn’t sure how to handle his glass ceiling situation and Kopelson is digging into him more and more. Menke begins to get on his good side by laughing at his jokes, inviting him to dinner and other things along these lines. Gibson is suspicious at first but grows comfortable after a while, thinking he has found a friend, enjoying the human interaction that he has experienced from many other people in his life, including Kopelson.
After a train wreck, business begins to boom. Menke decides to put his plan into action. One night Kopelson tells Menke to lock the place up, he’s going home early. Gibson is furious and vents his frustrations about working late and doing Kopelson’s work. Menke convinces Gibson that he could make enough money selling cadavers to start his own funereal home. This idea appeals to Gibson and he decides to help.
All is going well for the corrupt businessmen. However, one day Kopelson shows up at the wrong time and Gibson cracks. Upon hearing of their creativity, Kopelson decides to join in, but he gets half of the profits since they are using his facilities. The three agree and business continues.
As his debt begins to lessen and things look up, Menke decides to quit because he gets a better job offer. When Kopelson finds out, he makes sure Menke knows that he can’t rat the operation out without getting himself in trouble and, more importantly, embarrassing his family. Menke acknowledges that he is aware of the situation and proceeds to leave. As he walks out the door, he is confronted by Gibson.
Gibson, still thinking that Tom is actually his friends, is worried about being left alone to work with Kopelson. When asked why he wouldn’t quit, Gibson says he doesn’t want to go to jail. Menke says he shouldn’t worry about it since Kopelson will get in trouble too. The two shake hands and go separate ways.
After confronting Kopelson, Gibson discovers he is trapped. Kopelson has the option of not telling anyone since he got in on the scheme late. He never attached his name to anything and merely provided the means to Menke and Gibson’s end.
After this, things spiral out of control. After a series of attempts to resolve the situation peacefully, Gibson and Menke are forced to use physical violence. The particulars are not planned out yet, but the basic ending for the story will involve the death of Harvey Kopelson.
posted by Dan at 12:55 AM
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