TIGHTFIST
If you thought Monty Burns was a miser and guarded his money jealously, read here about how James Onedin counts literally every penny and makes sure not one is wasted. Charity is a word unknown to James, and he exists only to make a profit, the fatter the better.
This is best illustrated in his fooling Robert into taking on his debts while he is at sea, something we will see in the second episode, and the money he leaves for his brother to "cover expenses" is not nearly enough. Not only that, but he holds his wedding reception onboard the ship and as soon as he can get everyone off he's weighing anchor to head to Lisbon. Not a man to delay when there's a profit to be made!
Although he loves making money he also knows the old maxim, "you've got to speculate to accumulate", and has such deep faith in his own abilities that he truly can't see why Robert won't initially help him buy the Charlotte Rhodes. Robert, of course, knows nothing of his brother's plans and does not see things as he does. Had James explained what he was intending to do then perhaps the chandler would have loaned him the money, but James keeps his cards close to his chest, trusting no-one. It's not even clear if he reveals his plan to collect and return Braganza's empty wine casks to his wife. He also sees possible profit in helping Albert Frazer woo his sister, something he would have no interest in did it not afford him some return.
CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY
Here I'll be looking into the mind of James Onedin and seeing what makes him tick: money mostly, almost exclusively. But like the entrepreneurs of today, he is always on the lookout for the next big thing, the next opportunity to extend and consolidate his business empire. Even when he has nothing, he has big ideas.
Speaking to Robert about the new ironclad sailing ships, and how he should try to supply them, he is met by his brother's gloomy and defeatist claim: "The owners would never buy from a little man like me. And how could I afford fancy kickbacks to the masters?"
"The owners will buy", James tells him, with iron conviction, "where they can show best profit." Robert sneers.
"There's a sight more to business than just buying and selling, you take my word for it."
James: "Look: I buy, I sell. Wherein lies the profit?"
Robert: "In between."
James: "No, Robert, profit lies with the man who possesses. The owner makes the profit, not the employee, however well paid!"
Robert: "Aye, and he stands to lose most."
James: "And the man who has nothing loses nothing. And lies in a poor man's grave. A poor man's funeral."
Elizabeth: "Will you be the better for lying in a rich man's grave, James?"
James: "Aye! For I'll have worked for it!"
As he sits down to negotiate the sale of the Charlotte Rhodes, Onedin mentions that in addition to going over the ship from stem to stern he has made enquiries as to the Websters' financial situation. When this is viewed with outrage by Anne, he tells her and her father "Business is a matter of negotation. Before one can negotiate with certainty it is necessary to fully comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of the other side."
When James's plan becomes clear we see how sharp his mind is. He knows he cannot beat Callon's clipper to Lisbon, but he knows he can undercut his rates to the bone --- in fact, carry the wine totally free --- due to his idea about the wine casks, something Callon has never even entertained. New blood brings new ideas, and Callon, though initially dismissive of James, must begin to see something of a threat to his monopoly from the new upstart. He has the clout though to ruin him, and James will need all his cunning and resolve if he is to survive his first few months in business.
__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018
|