Mr. Das tells Mr. Kapasi (paragraph 20), In a way we have a lot ...

[karateprodigy]

Mr. Das tells Mr. Kapasi (paragraph 20), In a way we have a lot in common . . . What does he mean by this? Do they in fact have much in common?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

From whose point of view is the story told? How would you characterize themethod employedomniscient, limited omniscient, or objective?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[amandanbreshears]

Answer to Question 1

• As a science teacher in a middle school who takes his classes to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, Mr. Das expresses a sense of kinship with Mr. Kapasi in his role as a tour guide. Also, although unknown to Mr. Das, both are the fathers of three children, and both are in less than totally satisfactory marriages. But beyond such superficial resemblances, everything in the text suggests the great differences between the two: Mr. Das is somewhat immature, quite unselfconscious, a bit crass, seemingly satisfied with his life and himself; Mr. Kapasi is older, a person of dignity and reserve, greatly concerned with his appearance and the impression he makes on others, who has established a life of comforting rituals to cope with his unhappiness in his marriage.

Answer to Question 2

• The correct answer is, of course, limited omniscient. The method is not objective: we do not see everything from the outside as we would if we were present, but we are given insights into the unspoken thoughts and feelings of someone other than ourselves. The author has limited her omniscience in this story to Mr. Kapasi; it is his inner state that we are privy to, and everyone and everything else in the story is presented through his viewpoint.