Author Question: The narrator describes the fight and his condition afterward with little emotion. What effect does ... (Read 78 times)

kamilo84 · **on:** Jul 20, 2018

The narrator describes the fight and his condition afterward with little emotion. What effect does that have on how we perceive the narrator?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

In the tense moments leading up to the fight, how can you tell that this isnt the narrators first rumble?

What will be an ideal response?

reelove4eva · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 20, 2018

Answer to Question 1

He drops a few hints along the way to suggest that he has received an especially severe beating, perhaps the worst one of his life: I moved in a silence that was more complete than any silence I had ever known. I was a ghost fighting ghosts (par. 107); Man Man he said. Them lads sureGodhave worked you over You got a face like a wet geranium I didnt laugh. It wasnt funny (par. 117118). But even though some of his descriptions of the fight are heightened, even poetic, in contrast to the straightforward narrative style of the rest of the story, he displays very little overt feeling in response to the situation. This beating may be worse than usual, but overall he gives the impression that this sort of thing is a professional hazard, all in a days work. He also gives the impression of being rather stoical by nature, accepting of the nature of things, and in control of his emotions.

Answer to Question 2

He can tell from the stiffness of the shoulders of one of the other men that their casual attitude is a feint and that they are getting ready to jump him (par. 80). He instantly sizes up the disadvantages of his position: the room is too small, the men are too close to him, and his gun isnt a thing of miracles. Its a mechanical contraption that is capable of just so much and no more (par. 84). He quickly runs through his options in his mind and discards each one in turn as he realizes its unworkability (par. 8890). He calculates the odds of how many of the four men he will be able to shoot and how they would most likely act under the circumstances (par. 92 and 99). All of these considerations and assumptions are obviously derived from a great deal of experience.