Bullying is something which almost every child experiences or carries out at some time in their life. In most cases it ceases without further problems, but it can also get out of hand and in worst case be potentially fatal for the victim. In the short story Son of Satan, the last-mentioned case is being realized, as three young boys decide to harass a fourth boy from their neighborhood. Somehow the situation gets out of hand and one can’t help wondering what makes the situation escalate.
The story is set in what seems to be a quiet neighborhood and this is where we meet our eleven- year-old protagonist and his two twelve-year-old friends Morgan and Hass. It is made clear from the beginning that our main-character is the leader of the gang, despite him being the youngest one of them all. Nothing that he says or does is being questioned by Hass and Morgan, on the contrary they agree on everything, which exactly is the case as our protagonist starts talking about bringing down Simpson: “Well, maybe we ought to get him then,” I suggested. “Why not?” asked Hass. “Let’s do it,” said Morgan” (p. 39 l. 17-19).
The boys quickly decide to seek him up and confront him on the basis of a cocky remark he’s supposed to have said. What in the beginning seems to be a silly accusation quickly takes a turn, as the three boys both beat him up and finally leaves him hanging on the porch with a rope tied around his neck. In spite of the boys’ consistently rough attitude towards their victim, our protagonist eventually resigns to his consciousness and comes to Simpsons rescue, but makes sure to do it after he split up with his two friends. This very action shows that our protagonist is a round character because he has a multi-dimensional personality and shows emotional depth. On this basis, he is also in many ways defined as a dynamic character because as the story progresses, his reflections of his actions change. In other words, he becomes aware of the moral aspects of his doing.
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