In the story "What He Was Like?" written by William Maxwell, the main character of the story is an old man who lived a different life in his diary than he did at the time when he was alive. He wrote what he saw and he lived in his life but kept it secret for his own pleasure, revealing positive and negative thoughts. The main theme mentioned in the short story is the fact that not everyone is necessarily what he/she seems. The life of a person is not only based on the actions but also on thoughts. In the story, the main character shows his cheerful personality to the people around him but he keeps his dark thoughts hidden. .
The main character he shows a genuine character before his old age, he established a loving bond with those closest to him throughout his life, When he was younger, he was really happy and his attitudes impressed the people who knew him. He showed them that he had a life full of harmony. The principal character made this connection when he says, The days being full , and pleasant and worth recording" ( William Maxwell, p.43). In this quote, we can see that the main character developped a lot of love to those surrounding him in his life. Also, the old man would show lots of happiness and positivity to the people around him. This is shown when the old man states If I had my life to live over again- but one doesnt. One goes forward instead, dragging a cart piled high with lost opportunities( William Maxwell, 44). With this quote, the reader can understand that because he would want to re-live his life again he must have had a good quality of live.
Throughout the story , the reader can notice that even though he appreciated his life he was aware that life was too short. For example, by seeing his friends dying , his appreciation transformed in an intense fear of death. He expresses this fear when he says: "I did not think that would happen. I thought I was immortal "(William Maxwell, p.
