6.1 The narrator
| Trait | Evidence |
|---|---|
| humble, timid | waits an hour without complaint; feels guilty for disturbing the photographer |
| self-mocking | "I know; I have always known it" — agrees his face is wrong |
| naive | misunderstands "three-quarters full"; thinks the photographer means to kiss him |
| sensitive, emotional | his voice breaks; he bursts into tears |
| self-accepting | "it's my face, the only one I have … I've learned to love it" |
| capable of dignity and scorn | the final speech with "withering scorn" |
| a comic hero | grand speeches end in tears; a small man defeated by a large camera |
6.2 The photographer
| Trait | Evidence |
|---|---|
| rude, unwelcoming | looks at the customer "without enthusiasm"; "Sit there, and wait." |
| self-important | "the dim eye of a natural scientist"; treats photography as solemn science |
| obsessed with his own idea of perfection | "The face is quite wrong"; "I don't like the head" |
| insensitive | does not listen; twists the head; plans to remove the ears |
| absurdly demanding | orders to droop the ears, hump the neck, twist the hip |
| proud of his work | "a certain pride in his manner"; "They come out splendidly, don't they?" |
| unaware of the customer's feelings | the narrator's bitterness is "lost on" him |
6.3 The two compared
| Point | Narrator | Photographer |
|---|---|---|
| wants | a true likeness | a "perfect" picture |
| sees the face as | his identity | raw material to be corrected |
| manner | humble, then scornful | grave, superior, then proud |
| at the end | in tears, walks out | pleased with his "art" |