The Midnight Visitor: Summary and Analysis: 2023

The story, The Midnight Visitor, is a detective story. The detective is a special agent who expects to get some papers with sensitive information in his hotel room. However, he is attacked by his rival. A series of events unfold after this that created a very dangerous situation. Ausable managed to get out of the sticky situation that could have gotten both him and Fowler killed. 

The Midnight Visitor Summary

The story, The Midnight Visitor, is about Ausable, a witty secret agent. He was with his friend, Fowler, a writer, and they had plans to spend time in the evening. Fowler understood that he was the exact opposite of how he imagined him to be. Ausable told Fowler that he was wrong, and soon, he would have reports that would change the future of the country. The two went to his room. As they enter, they see Max with a gun standing in the room. He asked them to be comfortable till the reports related to missiles arrived. 

This was an adventurous experience for Fowler. Ausable narrated a story about a hypothetical balcony below his room’s window. While this talk continued, there were continuous knocks at the door. Ausable said that this would be one of the police’s regular checks on him and his room. Max pointed his gun toward them and said that he would wait on the balcony, Ausable must send the police away, or he would shoot them.

As the doorknob turns, Max jumps out of the window, and there is a loud scream. The door opens, and a waiter enters. The waiter had brought the wine that Ausable had ordered. He puts down the bottle, tray, and glasses on the table and leaves. Fowler is surprised and asks him about the police and about Max. Max is waiting on the balcony outside the window. Ausable said that there were no police and that no person could possibly return as there was no balcony at all.

Ausable managed to show quick wit and take advantage of the situation and successfully made Max nervous. In his nervousness, he jumped out of the window without a thought. He jumped off the top floor of the hotel and passed away. Ausable outwitted Max and saved himself and Fowler from a dangerous situation.

The Midnight Visitor Analysis

The Midnight Visitor is about how a detective, Ausable, manages to get rid of his rival, Max, by using his brain in a problematic situation. Ausable was looking for some sensitive papers in a hotel room. He was attacked by Max, his rival. Max put Ausable at gunpoint and claimed the papers. Ausable got out of the situation with his extraordinary intelligence.

Ausable was very fat to be a secret agent. This surprised Fowler, and he was scared of the situation. Ausable understood the gravity of the situation and made up a story about a fake balcony. Max believed in the story and got scared because it involved the police. With the aim to run away from the police, he jumped into the nonexistent balcony.

The story is simply about how one can get rid of the most sticky situation with common sense. It gives the message that one should not lose their calm in tight situations; instead, just apply their brain. Ausable showed intelligence and took benefit of the circumstances, and befooled Max. Max was deceived and jumped off the top floor of the hotel. 

The Midnight Visitor Theme

The story, The Midnight Visitor, is based on the theme that wisdom is more powerful than other weapons. The central idea is Ausable’s intelligence helped him create the story about a nonexistent balcony and the police. This allowed him to get rid of his rival, who put him at gunpoint. His rival jumped off the window and passed away. 

The Midnight Visitor Character Sketch

Ausable is a different kind of secret agent. He is fat and sloppy. However, he is strong mentally and is quick-witted and agile. He is aware of all the tricks and is quick to react and make up stories. He is able to convince the crafty Max about the balcony below his window. The story is about his intelligence and how well he takes the benefits of circumstances. He manages to befool Max and deceive him completely. Max believed in the story Ausable fed him and said he would shoot them both if Ausable did not send the police back. Ausable created a situation of panic for Max, and he stopped thinking rationally. Eventually, he jumped out of the window without checking for the balcony. He jumps off the top floor of the hotel and dies. Ausable turned a situation of utmost panic around and saved himself, Fowler, and the sensitive information.

Max is a secret agent and a rival to Ausable. He is slender and appears crafty. He is not menacing, except for his pistol. He went to Ausable’s room to take away the papers with sensitive information. 

Fowler is a romantic and young writer. He creates a very romantic and grand picture of a secret agent. He is surprised to see how different the reality is and how Ausable, a fat detective, managed to outwit Max. He is, however, let down because he does not see Ausable cracking pistols or being around dark-eyed beauties like James Bond. 

The Midnight Visitor Analysis Key Points

The Midnight Visitor is a detective story by Robert Arthur. Ausable is a secret agent who is expecting sensitive information in a hotel room. Max, his rival, attacks him at gunpoint and demands the papers. Ausable is intelligent and manages to come out of the situation. Fowler was surprised to see this because he considered Ausable too fat to be a secret agent. The situation was scary for Fowler. However, Ausable sensed danger and fabricated a brilliant story that included a hypothetical balcony and the police. Max believes in it and jumps off the window into the hypothetical balcony. The message is that one must not panic and handle the situation calmly.

Updated by Anjali Roongta on April 18, 2023.