Analyse af Wendell Berrys novelle 'The Hurt Man'

It’s a tough job being a parent and you cannot quit whenever you feel like – whenever it’s rough and not going the way you want it to, it’s a life time job. You have to create a safe environment, but also let your children have their own stumbles with the world, without the parents interfering. At the same time the parents have to be caring and loving. But first and foremost they have to set a good example for their children. Children often copy their; therefore it is important that the parents are good role models for their children, and teach them good values. These are some of the themes in “The Hurt Man”.

The Hurt Man is a short story by Wendell Berry, written in 2003. It’s about a boy, named Mat and his childhood that takes place in a small American town in the 1880’s. The boy lives with his mother and father in the Midwest. His parents are quite protective, because they fear that he will share the same fate as his siblings, whom are all dead. And the mother seems to be putting a lot of effort into the household, maybe as some kind of equipment, to keep her mind off the loses she has had. But as for that she’s still a cheerful and strong person, but sparkles with authority to strangers. The boy is not allowed to leave the house during the weekends, as the parents find it rather dangerous in the city at this time of the week – people get drunk in the saloons and they get into fights.