In 1935, Abell’s break through came with this play about the little office man; a slave to the pay check who must work hard in the office during the unemployment threat; the work is empty and mechanical.
Unlike his colleagues, Larson has the advantage of sensing some kind of contents in life, namely “a melody on the bottom of everything”. He is in love. And with his girl Edith he will leave the office and go experience life. But the mother in law means that work including a nice flat, genuine furniture and coffee spoons with manor are things to be desired why Larson is transformed into a tear-off calendar, a decent and an unimaginative man of a habit life. But Edith will not see her marriage end this way. She rebels and makes Larson do the same: Chasing the melody – symbolised by three cute young girls that are always around them.
Neither the priest nor anything in the idealistic world can help Larson find the melody, so instead he seeks out death. But death is not fond of the idea of him being some kind of cheap way out, so he tells Larson to pick up the melody without telling him where the melody is located.
However, Larson returns to life where he, after the previously failed attempts, desperately rebels and ends up in detention. At this point, he realises that it was his own fear of not being the decent man, the fear of life that prevented him from finding the melody.
Edith has been luckier and brings the melody (openness, spontaneity, compassion, life courage, solidarity) home to Larsen who no longer is locked up.
