Answer:
I don't have an extremely critical answer, but here are my findings. Correct me if I am wrong. Its hard to find info on this short story as it were.
Author - William Saroyan
About the Author - He presents in his stories much on pride, humor and sympathy. Saroyan began writing at the age of thirteen, though he did not earn his fame through his writing until 1934. Through his literature has won a place in the front ranks of American writers.
Theme - Discovering Self
Learning of what makes one true. Learning that there is more than one way of keeping your self, and earning respect, even if it is only your own respect.
Antagonist and Protagonist. Characters
Man vs Man
Man vs Self
Our Protagonist is Al Condraj, and our Antagonist(s) are Mr Clemmer and the young man at the shop.
Man vs Man
Al Condraj has conflict between Mr. Clemmer and the young man, due to the fact that Al was caught trying to steel the hammer from the shop, but also because of how the young man and Mr. Clemmer had humiliated, and embarrassed Al by accusing him of being a thief, and in the way they did, then shunning him from the store until he was able to pay for the hammer.
Man vs Self
Al feels conflict within himself because he had tried to steal, which was not in his nature, and also because he had not even been strong or manly enough to do the job right, defend himself, or go back and redo the job, that time actually achieving his goal.
Plot -
Exposition - The ten cent hammer catches Al's eyes while he is looking through the store, and he figures that the hammer would be good to have so he could use the nails he has collected from the construction site, to build something. Al has not money with which to buy the hammer however, and the proceeds to slip the hammer into his pocket and head from the store.
Initial Incident - Al is caught in the act of his theft, by a young man in the store, and is then taken to Mr. Clemmens, whom is the store owner. Mr. Clemmens accuses Al of being a thief, and treats him poorly, and rudely, not being kind at all, then tells Al that he may not come back to the store until he is able to actually purchase the items he is looking at.
Rising Action - Al leaves the store shamed, humiliated and angry. At Mr. Clemmens, and the young man for calling him a thief, and being so rude and unkindly to him. But Al is also mad at himself for trying to steal which is so unlike him, and also because he was not strong or manly enough to stand up for himself, And being unable to steal without being caught. Al then heads home, and his humiliation and shame are heightened when his mother scolds him, and then offers her own money so Al can buy the money. He then heads back to the store to try and do the job right, but never ends up going back into the store. This makes Al feel even more shamed, because he is not even able to redo the job, and this time right.
Climax - Al begins to consider ways by which to adjust the matter. Through this he considers stealing for a living, and then thinks of killing the young man who caught him and rated him out in the first place, earning his revenge, and earning his respect.
Falling Action -
The next day Al's mother wakes to find Al already gone and when she returns home from work with her friend, she finds Al busy at work in the yard building what looks like a bench out of box wood with a hammer and his nails, the watering already done, and the yard tidy. She the makes dinner with the help of her friend.
Denouement - Al's mother asks Al where he got the hammer he tells her that he got it from the store, she asks him if he stole it, but Al worked for it at the store, the hammer being his pay, he was then offered a job from Mr. Clemmens from the suggestion of the young man, but Al refuses, she proceeds to ask why he refused the job because he could have made money. But Al hated the men, and how they had treated him before, so he did not, and would not ever work for them, because of how they had degraded him.