The Lucid Eye in Silver Town

With the title, “The Lucid Eye in Silver Town,” John Updike suggests that one of the characters in the story is seeing reality clearly, that is, they have a “lucid eye.” A child, Jay, who is about 14 years of age, travels with his father, Marty, to New York in order to meet his very successful uncle and also to buy a book of Vermeer. There are three possible “lucid eyes”: the father, the son, and his Uncle Quin. Is it Uncle Quin, who, although quite successful, neglects to even meet his brother, who he hasn’t seen in a great many years, at the subway station. Or, is it the son, who at one point condemns all people interested in money as stupid and then later berates his father for not bringing more than five dollars, when it is likely he could afford no more. No, the “lucid eye in silver town” is, most assuredly, the father.
Early in the story, Uncle Quin asks Marty and his son if they want to go into the bathroom to freshen up. They do so, and then Marty ...