Gutta Percha Willie: the Working Genius

by George MacDonald

Mr Macmichael was a country doctor, living in a small village in a thinly-peopled country; the first result of which was that he had very hard work, for he had often to ride many miles to see a patient, and that not unfrequently in the middle of the night; and the second that, for this hard work, he had very little pay, for a thinly-peopled country is generally a poor country, and those who live in it are poor also, and cannot spend much even upon their health.

Genres: Fiction, Christian

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1873

About the author

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carroll. In addition to his fairy tales, MacDonald wrote several works of Christian theology, including several collections of sermons.

Reviews

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for an older elementary aged child (or any adult). Willie is constantly on the lookout for ways to help others, and in the process, he learns the basics of many trades. As he grows, he realizes that there are certain professions that allow him to provide help that comes closer and closer to the person's true self. His chosen profession and continued ingenuity seek to bring healing and help in the best ways, as he seeks to be part of the "general maintenance" of the world, which God is running, and in which he is seeking to participate.

Sweet and simplistic, yet true to the voice of MacDonald.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

Painfully slow build up with no middle and a rushed ending.

No conflict.

Great detail and imagery.

No content concerns

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: The story of a young boy who gives himself to discover his own work within God’s work and how he finds his vocation.

This story is a kind of Horatio Alger story with a spiritual twist. Willie Macmichael is the son of a country doctor, beloved by his patients. The doctor has an interesting educational philosophy, letting Willie learn on his own until he’s ready and motivated to go to school. So Willie explores about the village. Conversations with a widow who knits and sews persuade him that it might be time to find some worthy work to do. As he discusses her contention that we work but God doesn’t need to with his father, he is persuaded that God is always working and that the work of people is found within that work.

So he goes about exploring the world of work, trying shoe-making, carpentry, and blacksmithing, becoming proficient in each and making friends with those who taught him. He figures out on his own how to read, reading to Hector, the shoe-maker. Then he is ready for school, in which he delights.

He and a friend discover an old well. Willie, endlessly clever, devises a way to pump water to irrigate his parent’s garden, and then makes a Rube Goldberg alarm to wake himself up to stargaze at night. When his Granny needs to move in, he determines to make one of the rooms in the nearby ruins of an old building habitable. Spelman, the carpenter helps him, and he helps Spelman with water from the well, which seems to have healing properties.

That brings us to another aspect of Willie’s character. He has a tender heart. He wants to save his mother waking to feed his baby sister. Later, when Agnes wishes she were a bird that could perch in the trees, Willie works unbeknownst to her to create a place in the trees, safely reached. He moves to give his grandmother room, and later, an ill tradesman.

But it is a conversation with the town clergy that plays a key part in Willie finding his vocation. And it is not as a minister. Rather, it will involve the old ruins, the well, and a partnership with his father. None of what Willie has done is wasted. Instead, it weaves into good work beyond what Willie could have imagined.

I have to admit, Willie seems to be too good to be true. This was written while MacDonald was editing Good Words for the Young and is the second of his boy’s novels. He makes a few mistakes in his inventions, but, if I recall correctly, is guilty of no deliberate wrongdoing. Unlike Pilgrim’s Process, there seems to be no straying from the path that makes one chastened but wiser. I can’t help wondering if boys might have better identified with Willie if there had been a bit of mischief.

That said, while probably not one of the best of MacDonald’s stories, it is diverting and delightful. It points us toward the practical truth that we find our vocation as we faithfully do the work at hand. And with that, we find that we indeed work within the work of God.

[Glen Grunau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was missing the heart to be found in a George MacDonald novel so continued my progress through his complete works with this selection. Willie was, in the tradition of many of MacDonald’s protagonists, of admirable character and as a young boy set himself firm on the path of devoting his life to working hard for the benefit of others. He became highly skilled with his hands and soon became accomplished in many trades.

MacDonald chose to describe at great length and in intricate detail many of the projects that Willie pursued, such that I found myself getting bogged down and quickly disinterested with all the minute details. I also found myself getting impatient the longer the author waxed poetic in great detail about the night sky, which Willie found so irresistible.

I also found Willie’s character one dimensional in its degree of perfection; he was simply too good to be true. Normally, I do not find this characteristic quality of MacDonald’s writing to be as tedious as I found it on this occasion.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the nuggets of truth and beauty that are always plentiful in his writing and that I was able to glean from this book as well.

[w gall · Rating 3 out of 5]

George MacDonald creates here an ideal boy in an ideal (though far from perfect) world. Some of the narrative is, obviously, unrealistic. Sometimes very much so. This was not listed as one of his fantasies, but it resembled one. I treasure George MacDonald, and hate that I have to be critical here, but this is my view of the book.

[Ismael Ibuan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me appreciate and love work.

[A Hoppy Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars
Nice enough story about a boy who likes to build.