'The Stone Boy': analyse af novellen

The Stone Boy is a short story about, two brothers the youngest called Arnold and the oldest called Eugene. In the beginning of the story Arnold wakes Eugene, so they can go pick peas, on the way there Arnold gets caught up in a fence and accidently shoots his brother with the rifle he brought to shoot ducks. Arnold kneels be his brother’s side calling his name, but Eugene does not answer because he is dead. After this incident Arnold just starts picking peas, after an hour he returns home to his parents and he tells them that he has shot Eugene. Arnold Parents take him to the courthouse where they go talk to the sheriff. The Sheriff asks Arnold a bunch of questions, and with that the sheriff concludes that Arnold is one of those rational kids and he points of that they are often the meanest ones, because they don’t have any feelings. After this Arnold is taken home again, no one talked to him the rest of the day. At supper Arnold mom had her head in her hands so that she did not have to look at him, and Arnold still did not feel anything, not any grief, not any sorrow. At night Arnold came to his mother’s door, he tries to talk to her, but she tells him to go back to sleep, and asks him: “is at night when you get afraid”. The next day Arnolds mom asks him what he wanted in the night Arnold answers:”I didn’t want nothing, and after saying that Arnold walks away terrified by his own answer.