“A Man Who Had No Eyes” by MacKinlay Kantor (1904 – 1977)
Page 328 in Sightlines 10
MacKinlay Kantor is most noted for his depiction of America during wartime. For fifty years, his work
appeared almost uninterruptedly as short stories in magazines, novellas, and novels. During the height of his
success, from 1935 to 1970, Kantor was one of the highest paid fiction writers in the world. Aside from his
wartime stories, Kantor also wrote fiction based on the tales he heard while growing up in the Midwest.
NOTEWORTHY LITERARY ELEMENTS in “A Man Who Had No Eyes”:
characterization / onomatopoeia (x 1) / imagery / foreshadowing / dialogue /
contrast (between characters) / setting / conflict / climax [surprise twist(s) ] /
irony / theme
New Terms:
colloquial language – informal language common to everyday conversation (i.e. casual or informal speech)
dialect -- a form of speech common to a region or particular social class (i.e. idiom, unusual words, slang)
THEME TOPICS: deceitfulness / overcoming obstacles / self-pity VERSUS
positive attitude / mistaken stereotypes / appearance VERSUS reality
1. This story has TWO surprise ‘twists’ in the final paragraphs. State what they are and
clarify what is surprising or ironic about them.
2. Describe Markwardt (the beggar) as presented in the story. Include his appearance,
what he is doing, and any personality traits that are revealed.
3. Describe Mr. Parsons. Include his appearance and any personality traits that are
revealed through his words and behaviours in the story.
4. Look closely at Markwardt’s (the beggar’s) lines of dialogue and write out THREE
phrases that are strong examples of dialect. Why do you think the author chose to have
Markwardt speak in this manner?
5. Based on your careful reading of the story, create at least TWO fully developed theme
statements that you think reflect insights about life conveyed in “A Man Who Had No
Eyes”.