Question

Write a character-sketch of the ‘Stranger-man’ using examples from the story to support the following attributes.

1. ignorant, innocent, and polite
2. calm and cool
3. jumps to wrong conclusions
4. hasty and unwise at times

Answer 1

In the story, the stranger man politely listens to Taffy’s conversation and behaves very sweetly with her. Though he is ignorant of her language, he cooperates with her and concludes that she is a wonderful child. Throughout the story, the stranger man maintains his cool and stays calm. He misunderstands the drawing made by Taffy and the behavior of Taffy’s father towards him. This shows that he jumps to wrong conclusions. The stranger man doesn’t understand a word spoken by Taffy. But he still jumps to the wrong conclusions about every little situation of the story. This shows his inability to understand the actions and gestures of Taffy and her father. When he gets the picture, the stranger man hurries away to find Taffy’s mother with a totally different understanding of the picture and the situation. This highlights his hasty and unwise nature.