When the old traveler is introduced, he is described as "a fat, red-faced man with bloodshot eyes of the palest gray." This description suggests that the traveler is unwell, and this impression is compounded when, later in the story, we are told that he has "two missing front teeth." The fact that his eyes are "bloodshot" suggests that he is very tired, and perhaps does not sleep. The color of his eyes ("gray") suggests a lifelessness, as if the traveler has been drained of life. Indeed, this interpretation is particularly pertinent if we bear in mind the old adage that the eyes are the windows to the soul. The superlative "palest" emphasizes this connotation of lifelessness. This impression is emphasized again in the story when the old traveler's eyes are described as "horribly watery."

The old traveler's eyes are also described as "bulging," and his body is described as "weakened." The "bulging" eyes suggest, as the author himself states, an "inner violence of an uncontrolled vitality." This "inner violence" has perhaps weakened the old man's body from within, almost like a parasite consuming him from the inside out. At the end of the story, we discover that this violence is a consequence of his son's death. The violence is a manifestation of his grief. This violence is also angry, as suggested by the description of his lip as "livid."

Altogether the physical description of the old traveler suggests a man who has been utterly drained and exhausted. There is also a latent anger and violence within him, which seems to weaken him from the inside. All of these feelings are of course caused by the death of his son.