A Man Who Had No Eyes

Markwardt lays the blame for his downfall on the factory owners who did not provide him with insurance. If he had been insured, would Markwardt’s life or character be any different? Would he have become as successful as Mr. Parsons? Justify your answer using evidence from the text related to Markwardt’s characterization.

Although Mr. Parsons and Markwardt were both laborers, their speech is quite different. Using textual support, compare their speech patterns and discuss how their respective manner of speaking is relevant to the story.

The narration ends abruptly with Mr. Parsons’s revelation of his blindness. Using your understanding of the characters and the style of the author, suggest a resolution for the plot. How do you think the meeting between the two men would end? Justify your answers using evidence from the text.

To which character does the title of the story “A Man Who Had No Eyes” refer? Justify your answer with textual support.

The Westbury explosion forms a key background event in the story. Using the information gleaned from the story, prepare a concise newspaper report of around 150 words on the accident. Do you find any similarities between the style of the report and the story? Discuss.

Poetic justice is a literary device where characters who do evil deeds are punished by the end of the story. Do you think the idea of poetic justice is relevant to this story? Justify your answer using evidence from the text.

Is the short story form the best literary genre for narrating this tale? Can you think of any other literary form that may be utilized to effectively tell this story? Support your answer with the help of insights from critical literary studies.

Is the title suitable for the story? Is there a better alternative? Substantiate your answer by drawing on the critical analysis of the story.