The shell collector is the unnamed protagonist of this story. His recollection of events guides the narrative arc, leading him back to the present moment that frames the story. His interactions with secondary characters reveal that others see the shell collector as a recluse, closed off to the outside world. However, when the wandering third-person narration enters his perspective, a rich inner life is revealed, as he takes in the natural world with a sense of wonder and humility.

Though he lives in isolation, the shell collector experiences repeated violations of the space he has created for himself. Through his perspective as a blind person, this sense of violation is understood through sensory details:

They occupied a surprising amount of space in the kitchen […] The shell collector felt them crowded into the room […] in their rustling kanzus and squeaking flip-flops, each stinking of his work […] How strange it felt to have his home overrun by unseen men (19-20).

When the mwadhini begs him to cure his daughter of malaria, the shell collector tells him, “I want only to be left alone” (21), which becomes an important justification for his decision to treat Seema.