Question

"But the postmaster now watched them as eagerly as thought each contained a warm,beating heart . He no longer thought of them in terms of envelopes and postcards. He saw the essential human worth of a letter." Explain

Answer 1

The postmaster at the post-office was an ordinary man having qualities which usually postmen and village schoolmasters have. His usual facial expression was sadness; there was not a trace of any shine or cheerfulness in his features. We can say his face was as inexpressive as a pumpkin. He had dual personality. We saw him behaving insensitively and indifferently to Ali before he himself went through Ali-like pain and suffering. However, after going through the pain of separation from his own daughter, his arrogance was completely transformed into sympathy for Ali. Now he empathized with him. He wondered he could not bear the suspense concerning his daughter's health only for one night, and how Ali must have gone through the painful suspense concerning his daughter, Miriam, for five years! He felt remorseful for his misbehavior. Coincidentally, when he saw Miriam's letter addressed to Ali, he picked it up excitedly thinking he would hand over the letter to Ali himself. Thus, we see the postmaster as a man who evolves from callousness to empathy.