The main significance of this story is to demonstrate the importance of the role a custodian has in a medical center, a hospital. This importance is expressed beautifully from the special relationship a custodian forms with the patients and his relation with the role which is expected from him to play. In this respect, the setting in the narrative, also, plays an important role. The story is told in the first person because the narrator is also a fundamental character in the story.
The author, Brian Hinshaw, has placed the setting of the story in a hospital center. This can be easily understood from the fact that the custodian indirectly describes a wardroom of a hospital and mentions the nurses working there. Everything in the description of the surrounding environment of the custodian does remind the reader of a hospital room. In the words of the author, the custodian expresses a sense of sadness about his job. Expressively, he says that “the job gets very boring if you don’t mix it up a little” (Hinshaw, 1). In our case, the custodian finds amusement and a time passing motivation from the singing of the lady he has in custody. In a certain sense, this shows the lady seems to be a sort of entertainment by her singing. But at the same time, he expresses his amazement at this basic fact. He says that the lady “couldn’t speak couldn’t eat a lick of solid food, but she could sing” (Hinshaw, 1).
She is a very aged old lady who cannot speak because of her age. Probably she does not have any teeth at all and that is why she cannot speak. More probably she has been admitted to the hospital due to her age, and yet she sings like a mockingbird.
Another interesting point is the fact she has not forgotten her sense of responsibility and goodness. This fact comes clear from the mouth of the custodian who tells the reader that the lady would never sing songs of cursing. The custodian has tried several times to make her sing the songs of the cursing but she would never go for those. This illustration reveals a lot of her personality. The reader can understand that in the past she has been a good person and not willing bad things to others.
From the story also understand that this old lady who is almost good for nothing and cannot do anything due to her age however makes a big difference in the job of the custodian. This is done indirectly through this “entertainment” process.
But there is also a “hidden meaning” in the story. This can be understood when the narrator mentions the symbol 14-A. this is not simply a patient room number for him. Towards the end of the story, the narrator mentions that “I and 14-A were part ways ” (Hinshaw, 2). Here, he expresses his internal connection and feeling with that patient. This is an expression of human emotionality.
Towards the end of the story, he leaves us with an open thought of the reaction of the lady’s granddaughter or daughter. At a certain moment she says to the custodian:
“My god you’re an angel. I can’t do it anymore can hardly step into her room”. (Hinshaw, 2)
This leaves us with an open thought of the situation or the condition of the lady who is referred to as 14A. However, the writer’s emphasis and focus were not the condition of the lady or who the girl was and what she said. His focus was his connection with the lady and the role she played in his job.
Bibliography
Hinshaw, Brian. The Custodian. New York: Sundog Publishing, 1996. Print.