Mr Know All

The story "Mr. know all" by W.Somerset Maugham describes two main characters who meet on a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Yokohama. One is a rich merchant of Oriental origin, who holds a British passport and named Mr. Kelada. The other is his cabin-mate, a British citizen who is the nameless narrator of the story.

Mr. Kelada is described as a short guy and of a sturdy build, a clean shaven guy with a dark skin. He has a hooked, large nose, lustrous and liquid eyes. He has a long black hair which is sleek and curly. In addition, Mr. Kelada is a chatty guy who wants everybody on board to hear his voice. He is a dogmatic person, he doesn't like when people tell him what to do or whether he is right or not. He tries to convince everybody on board that he is right and knows everything better than anyone else. He is arrogant and pushy. Undoubtly, showing off and presenting his knowledge is one of his prominent features.

On the contrary, the narrator is a typical upper-class Englishman. He is a prejudiced and conservative person, who judges people on their appearances, and where they were born. If someone is not a British person, meaning not in the same category as the narrator belongs to, he is not tolerant of at all. Throughout the story the narrator is presented as a critic person.

To conclude, both characters are very different and represent two opposite worlds. I prefer Mr. kelada over the narrator for several reasons. First, it's difficult for me as a liberal person to get along with conservative people because of all the differences. Furthermore, I oppose judging people without getting to know them first. In addition, Mr. Kelada seems like a joyful person, who doesn't really care what other people think about him and I appreciate this trait.