Describe Salvator's life through Maugham's eye
and discover the goodness of his character that
impressed the author.
Answers
the very beginning paragraphs of his story, the author has been successful in registering a lasting impression of Salvatore's goodness on our mind. And this impression only gets stronger when the story progresses
Answer:
In the short story “Salvatore”, Maugham has presented the character of Salvatore as an epitome of goodness. The writer directly communicates with the readers both at the beginning and the end of the story to suggest the purpose of his story. Through the depiction of an apparently ordinary man as our protagonist has been, Maugham shows us how the quality of goodness – the inner beauty of a man – can make an ordinary man extraordinary.
The story basically presents a biographical narrative of Salvatore’s life in a chronological order. When the story begins, he is a boy of fifteen, the son of an Italian fisherman. As a fisher boy, it is no shock that he is an expert at swimming. But the protective and caring attitude he shows to his two younger brothers is somewhat beyond regularity.
Salvatore acted as a nursemaid to his two younger brothers … shouted to them to come inshore when they ventured out too far and made them dress ….
Salvatore’s affectionate nature at this very young age wins the readers’ heart. At the very beginning paragraphs of his story, the author has been successful in registering a lasting impression of Salvatore’s goodness on our mind.
And this impression only gets stronger when the story progresses. We next see Salvatore as a passionate lover who joins the royal navy in order to get the girl he loves. Not only that, he remains true to his love even in foreign lands. He writes his beloved letters stating her his agony of staying away from her and his longing to meet her.
In wrote to her (in his childlike handwriting) long, ill-spelt letters in which he told how constantly he thought of her and how much he longed to be back.
He becomes ill at ease while st