The Vegetable; or, From President to Postman

"The Vegetable; or, From President to Postman" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a funny play from the early 1900s about a regular guy named Jerry Frost whose life gets crazy when he suddenly becomes President of the United States. The play uses humor to discuss big ideas like wanting more out of life, feeling let down, and how silly social goals can be, all shown through Jerry's relationships with his wife Charlotte and other interesting people. At the beginning, Jerry is just a railroad clerk with a not-so-great marriage; he tells Charlotte about his dreams of being President, which is a big contrast to his boring job. Their chats show how bored and unhappy they are, which makes Jerry's surprising rise to power even funnier, and the clever jokes and ridiculous situations highlight how people can get stuck trying to meet everyone else's expectations while dealing with their own failures, making the play a funny look at wanting more and figuring out who you are.