Character Sketch – Two Fishermen

K. Smith, also referred to as “Smitty”, is a very small and quiet man who is the hangman that executes Thomas Delaney in the short story, “Two Fishermen,” by Morley Callaghan. He is described as, “a very small man… [with] a large head tapering down to a small chin, a birdlike neck, and a very wistful smile,” (Callaghan 1). Smitty is first introduced when to protagonist, Micheal Foster engages him in conversation and asks him, “How would you like if we went [fishing] together,” where Smitty happily agrees, “id like it first rate,” (Callaghan 1). During their conversation while fishing, the audience learns that Smitty is a very enjoyable and kind man, having a wife and, “five [children]… the oldest boy is fifteen,” (Callaghan 2). The audience also learns that, “the job hasn’t been so disagreeable,” showing that he does not have any negativeemotion when completing his job. However Smitty shows some humility by, “[looking] down… at the water, knowing he ought to be ashamed of himself,” (Callaghan 2). This fact surprises Foster and gives him an uneasy feeling about Smitty. Later on the audience truly sees how kind and thoughtful a man Smitty is when he gave Foster, “two good size salmon-bellied trout,” that he caught that morning despite Foster not joining him fish (Callaghan 3). To conclude, Smitty is a very small, quiet, and shy man that does not dislike his job in execution. However despite that, he is still a very kind and generous man with good intentions that just happens to be a hangman.