Throughout the Piano Tuner, readers experience Edgar Drake’s journey to Burma and Mae Lwin until evidence leads one to wonder if some of his experiences are his reality. One of the first signs that the story becomes seemingly ‘unreal’ is when Caroll tells Drake of his own encounter with the Man with One Story. The Man told him of how he gave into beauty and desire (ie. a woman), but as a result became deaf after hearing a strikingly beautiful song. However, Caroll recounts the story as, “I have heard many speak of his story. A story of war is never lost on a soldier, (259)”. Clearly, the stories differ between the two characters. Originally, Edgar Drake believed that the Man who told the story of his past told this story to other individuals that encounter him. Through Caroll, we learn that the Man tells a story unique to the individual he is speaking to, and tells of a subtle foreshadow catered what the character needs to hear, in terms of a lesson. This justifies as to why the Man, with supposedly, “One Story”, has a story different each time.
Often in fiction literature, authors are able to foreshadow scenarios or outcomes, but in Daniel Mason’s case, he has a character (ie. the Man with One Story), foreshadow Edgar…show more content… The author tells his interviewer, “It’s biographical not in the direct sense of the word but physiologically, the changes the character undergoes are very much similar to the changes I underwent. Edgar Drake’s inability to return home was similar to mine- early on I think it’s clear he is, psychologically, going to have a difficult time returning home. I started writing the book when I came back because I felt the absence of that experience (Mason)”. Although, in Mason’s case, his experience was real, but he writes a story with a twist on reality because he wants to express the changes Drake undergoes, especially in his
