Character Over Appearance: Rex Ellingwood Beach’s Short Story, ‘The Shyness of Shorty’

Looks don't measure a man. "Portrait of a Dwarf," 1626, by Juan van der Hamen. Prado. Public Domain

In his short story “The Shyness of Shorty,” Rex Ellingwood Beach proves that we must not be fooled by appearances. Beach tells of a dwarf, Shorty, who is continually mocked and judged by his peers for his appearance.

Shorty lives in the Old West. He is small in height with a large head and midsection, tiny legs, and an odd posture. Almost everyone laughs at him when they see him, especially his fellow workers at Bar X.

A Laughing Stock

The other Bar X men regularly stop at Bailey’s roadhouse. But today Shorty takes their place and arrives at the roadhouse, where he is greeted by the owner Bailey and his Chinese cook, Hot Joy. Upon seeing Shorty’s dwarfish appearance, Bailey suppresses laughter and Hot Joy laughs shrilly.