Value Points :
Postmaster very practical-thinks Ali to be a pest Does not feel any sympathy
Ali dies-Postmaster 'sees' him and talks to him Finds out about Ali's death
Personally goes to deliver the letter Understands Ali's pain only when his own daughter is unwell and away-feels ashamed of his behaviour-One must try to empathise with others.
Detailed Answer :
The postmaster in the story ‘The Letter’ was a very practical man. He used to think of Ali as a pest. He had no feeling of sympathy for him or his circumstances. But then times changed and his own daughter fell ill. She lived in another city. He wanted to know about her well-being but was fully dependent on a letter from his daughter that would inform him about her condition. It was at this moment that he realized Ali’s pain as he himself felt it. He felt ashamed at his behaviour of calling Ali a pest. One day, while he was looking for his daughter’s letter in the heap of the latest arrival of letters, he found Miriam’s letter in it. He decided to deliver it to Ali himself. Ali ‘came’ at the usual hour. He talked to him but he was later informed that Ali was dead. He was shocked. He decided to go personally to his grave to deliver the letter. Thus, the story teaches us to empathise with others.
