Minimum Payment Due
In the fictional short story “Minimum Payment Due” by Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, the main character is trapped in credit card debt and desperate for a way out. The fact that the experience is common, with over 38% of adults in the US having credit card debt, makes it no less frightening for the narrator.
The character is harassed by collection agents and is too ashamed to admit how much he owes to his therapist. He tries various methods to get out of debt, including self-help books, therapy, and even a cult, but nothing seems to work. The narrator rounds down and underreports the total amount of debt to the therapist, saying “the lowball was still a lot”.
Sayrafiezadeh, a fiction writer, memoirist, and playwright, chose to use fiction to explore credit card debt. In an interview, he discussed his decision to not reveal the exact amount of debt, instead, leaving the reader to imagine the figure in their mind. He compared it to the movie Jaws, where the audience is not shown the monster too much, saying it would be better for the reader to have to wonder about it.
When asked about the character’s ability to pay off the debt, Sayrafiezadeh explained that the narrator’s problem is not so much a spending problem, but rather being susceptible to debt. The story doesn’t delve into the root causes of his debt, leaving it as a mystery.
The character’s debt is so all-consuming that he can’t even see anything else, making everything seem like a part of his debt. The only person he confides in about his debt is his therapist, but even then, he lies about the amount, saying it’s less than it actually is, out of shame and denial.
Sayrafiezadeh’s story aims to make readers feel less alone with their own debt, saying that the story could make someone feel, “Oh yeah, this is not just me.”