Is Amal Wise

Is Amal Wise? It is truly an interesting question, as an argument for both sides can easily be made. I struggled with this question for a good period of time, thinking about which side I would like to back up. I finally decided that Amal in the story The Post Office, written by Rabindranath Tagore, is just a naive child who is not truly wise. He is the epitome of a young child who conveys the true meaning of life without truly knowing what he is saying. A wise person has to understand what he or she is saying. With the Curdseller for example, Amal talks about how great it would be to have that job. He shows the Curdseller that his life is good, and it makes the man happy. But, Amal enlightened this man due to childish thought and opinion. He just wants to do everything that he cannot do while he is sick. He wants to go outside, so he talks about how great of a life the Curdseller has only due to that. Amal is not a wise person giving advice; he is unintentionally showing wisdom in the way any young kid would, by accident. He is no wiseman, he is a child. Wisdom implies a true understanding into the meaning of something. A person like Aristotle or John Locke would be wise, for example. They truly understood, at least in their opinion, the meaning of life, as they wrote about it. Amal is naive and young, and he really does not understand the implications of what he is saying. As the Headman says, Amal is kind and well mannered, but naive. A wise person is not naive; he or she is fully aware of what he or she is saying, as well as the implications as to what it means. Amal, although he does share some insightful thoughts, does not understand that what he is saying is wise; therefore, he cannot be considered a wise person. Thus, I do not believe that Amal can be considered a wise person; he is a naive child.