"Mr. Know - All"

In the story "Mr. Know - All" ,which was written by Somerset Maugham , there are two main and opposite characters: the narrator and Mr. Kelada . Both of them are in the same situation: isolated from the world on board of an ocean liner, that travels from San Francisco to Japan . Both of them don't know anyone on the ship and are forced to be with the same people every moment of the day for two weeks. The interaction between the two characters starts at the beginning of the story, when the narrator, whom the story is written in his perspective only, has been told the name of his roommate - Mr. Kelada . The moment the narrator hears him name, he automatically decides to dislike him, before even meeting him.

The narrator describes Mr. Kelada as a short and sturdy build man, with clean -shaven dark skin, a fleshy hooked nose and very large and liquid eyes. Also, the narrator mentions that Mr. Kelada's hair is sleek and curly, and his gestures are exuberant. Although Mr. Kelada proves he is English by showing the narrator his passport, the narrator thinks he is so much different from an English gentleman. He decides that according to his view of an English man, who has light hair, skin and eyes, polite and talks different than Mr. Kelada and speaks in a formal way with strangers, Mr. Kelada isn't considered as one. 

Unlike the specific description of Mr. Kelada, the writer doesn't describe the narrator. His name and appereance are not revealed in the story, so we can only learn about him from his thoughts and reactions to Mr. Kelada. The narrator is probably a typical British man of the period - after The First World War. He probably has a British name, blond hair, blue eyes and light skin. He is certain to be a racist, snobbish, conservative and with a big amount of respect to the social ethics . The narrator keeps repeating that he doesn't like Mr. Kelada, so we can learn that he already has a strong opinion on Mr. Kelada's look and personality.

In conclusion, the narrator is considered as a genuine British man who gets along only with British men of his kind. Therefore, he doesn't treat Mr. Kelada fairly and doesn't give him a chance to make an impression on him before he decides what kind of person he is. In my opinion,  Mr. Kelada and the narrator are opposites, and this is the reason the narrator judges Mr. Kelada before knowing him, or according to his looks and his origin.

A bit too long but very good work. Well done!
(95)
Daphna