Not seeing the obvious could lead a perceptive mind to reflect upon more philosophical issues. Discuss this with reference to the ‘snail on the wall’.

Yes, it is true that not seeing the obvious can lead a perceptive mind to reflect upon more philosophical issues and the story ‘Mark on the Wall’ is its perfect example. Although the mysterious mark on the wall sets a plot to the story its content revolve in a very different direction. The narrator could have easily solved the mystery by standing up and inspecting the mark more closely in less than a minute but she chose to solve the mystery without any physical effort. So, she chooses to spend the time to think of the various possibilities that could have caused this mark, and while guessing these fanciful guesses she finds herself lost in some serious philosophical thoughts. The snail is identified just at the end of the story but is the titular hero who provides a plot to this story. The vast streams of consciousness are a result of this snake sitting on the wall and the narrator sitting on her chair.