


This injury would later cause him to be almost entirely blind. Because of the lack of medical technology, Thurber lost his eye. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the eye with an arrow. Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedienne" and "one of the finest comic talents I think I have ever known." She was a practical joker, on one occasion pretending to be crippled and attending a faith healer revival, only to jump up and proclaim herself healed. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work.

Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the ey Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L.
