Indledning
Living as a black person in Mississippi in the early 1960s was extremely difficult. Although slavery ended a long time ago, it has still left its marks on the society.
Accordingly, there was a huge difference between the black and the white people. Laws enforced racial segregation, whereas the white people had all the power, and the black people were suppressed.
Furthermore, this time is reflected in the short story “The death of Tommy Grimes” which takes place in Mississippi. The story was written by R. J. Meaddough III in 1962.
We hear about Tommy and his father going hunting with a group of grown men. Additionally, the focus is on Tommy’s development throughout the story, where he in the end ultimately passes his test .
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Uddrag
In the opening, we meet a fearful little boy, who is only 11 years old . Tommy’s father wants to teach him to shoot, but it seems like he does not like it.
However, Tommy wants to change to get his father’s approval . At first, Tommy tells about that night in the hen-yard where he was going to fire his first shot.
Unfortunately, he could not do it. This shows that Tommy is very thoughtful, soft, and insecure inside. The quotation “Why didn’t you shoot? What you waiting on? What’s wrong with you, boy?” “Pa, I . . . I couldn’t, Pa.
I just couldn’t. ” shows the reader how humiliating Tommy must feel. Especially, the sentence: “What’s wrong with you, boy”. As the audience, we almost feel sorry for him.
The writer highlights how much his father is pushing him to do something against his will. Apparently, Tommy is not strong enough to put his foot down.
During the story Tommy is progressing. He starts with small animals and then he moves on to larger animals like rabbits. In the end, he tells his dad that he is ready for the bock.
The time has come for Tommy to prove his worth to become a part of the grown-ups. Luckily, the hunt succeeded and Tommy’s father concluding remark was:
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