Please provide a critical analysis of W. Somerset Maugham's short story "Salvatore."

The author frames the story such that we are well aware of the narrator's presence. In this way, we are reminded of the oral tradition, the style of old-fashioned storytelling. What is special about this narrator is that they seem to be somewhat unsure about the outcome of this storytelling: "I wonder if I can do it." This tactic really grabs the attention of the reader; we are eager to see what the narrator so earnestly wishes to accomplish and if they are able.

At the very end of the story, the narrator says the ultimate purpose of this tale is to sketch a picture of "Goodness. Just goodness." Did it work? Was the author able to do it? Moreover, what is "goodness"?

Salvatore's life is far from perfect. A number of events thwart his goals and disorient him: being drafted into the military, falling ill, losing his first love, and essentially committing to a life unlike the one he imagined for himself. Yet Salvatore seems to understand the futility of allotting blame for these unfortunate events. He seems to acknowledge that a life is simply comprised of unexpected twists and turns. In short, he bears no bitterness about what many would consider bitter circumstances. As a result, he can rejoice in the beauty of his children and the small pleasures of life. When all is said and done, Salvatore seems happy, and the reader can feel happy for him. The author has made us feel the core of "goodness" which runs through Salvatore and how it resulted in a satisfying life, if not a perfect one.

Ostensibly the author considers "goodness" to be of great importance. So what does goodness look like? Salvatore is at times scared, sick, uncertain, rejected, and child-like, yet none of these qualities diminish him in our eyes. How is this? It is because Salvatore possesses "a quality which is the rarest, the most precious and the loveliest that anyone can have." Salvatore loves deeply and is kind and fair even in the face of adversity and pain:

Often his rheumatism prevented him from doing anything at all and then he would lie about the beach, smoking cigarettes, with a pleasant word for everyone notwithstanding the pain that racked his limbs.

This determination to be kind, loving, and "pleasant" regardless of the moment's circumstances, this kind of perseverance, is "goodness."