Part Four: Chapter Twenty-Four, The Autist Artist Summary and Analysis

At twenty-one José is labeled an idiot. However, what most people do not know about José, because they do not take the time to get to know him, is that he is a gifted artist. Dr. Sacks takes the time to engage José in his favorite pastime and even gains an appreciation for the young man's gift.

José's drawings are not exceptionally exquisite but he manages to draw out the feeling of an object so that his interpretation of the original becomes somehow more profound. A watch is no longer a simple watch but has detail the ordinary observer probably would not notice. Sacks has José sketch a number of different pictures and is continually amazed at the "fairy tale" quality José brings to his renditions. Sacks spends...