Summary
In this short story we see an apparently well-standing citizen meeting with a beggar on the street.
The beggar is in a terrible condition wearing rags, having festering wounds, bloodshot eyes. He asks for help, but the man happens to have nothing with him, so he clasps the beggar's hand, asking for forgiveness for having nothing to offer. An unexpected thing happens then. The beggar smiles and tells the man that the handshake is a gift itself.
Analysis
The story
explores the condition of poverty and the sentiment of empathy and human
connection. There is a stark contrast between the narrator's outstanding
condition and the destitute condition of the beggar.
The
narrator's act of clasping the beggar's hand shows a moment of compassion and
even though it is a small act it's full of kindness and meaning. The beggar's
reaction and answer to the man showcases how important it was for him to be
considered a human being. An equal, worth of clasping hands with, despite his
poor condition.
The story causes
us (like the narrator himself) to reflect on the way we see our fellow citizens
and especially those whom we consider below us.
Listen to the story: