Concetti Chiave
- The story is narrated by Jack, the eldest of four siblings, who must deal with their mother's corpse, highlighting the emotional strain on the children.
- During a night discussion, Jack dismisses Julie's idea of burying their mother in the garden due to practical difficulties and the risk of being discovered.
- Transport preparations involve Jack and Julie wrapping their mother's body in a sheet, a task that brings Jack to tears, illustrating his vulnerability.
- The siblings eventually decide to hide their mother's body in the cellar, showing their struggle with secrecy and fear.
- The narrative style employs simple language and short sentences, enhancing the realism and tension of the children's predicament.
Night Discussion
The narrator is Jack, the eldest boy in the family. The four children have to decide what to do with their mother’s corpse. The action takes place at night. Little Tom is upset and he’s crying so loudly that the other children are unable to talk. He’s to be comforted and put to bed. At midnight, Tom finally falls asleep. Jack now can tell his sisters that in his opinion, Julie’s idea of hiding the corpse in the garden is not a good one: first, they would have to dig deep, which would take a long time; secondly, If they did it during the day they would be seen, while if they did it at night they would need torches; lastly, it would be difficult to keep it secret from Tom. Jack has taken a leading role; however, when talking to his sisters he feels his stomach turned, which reveals his fragility.
Transport Preparations
Jack and Julie go upstairs to the room where their mother’s body is hidden. He opens the door, but it’s Julie that enters the room first.
Julie proposes to wrap the body in a sheet.
Jack catches his mother’s body, half closing his eyes and avoiding her face, and puts it on the table so that it will be easier to deal with it.
When they put her on the sheet, she looks like a bird with a broken wind and Jack for the first time cries for her and not for himself. It’s very difficult to wrap the body in the sheet because it’s too contorted.
Final Decision
The two children then carry the body downstairs, where Sue has fallen asleep. In the last line of the passage the reader is informed that the children have decided to hide their mother’s corpse in the cellar. The language is simple and familiar, which makes the scenes described realistic and concrete since the protagonists are four children and one of them is also the narrator. The sentences are short and there’s a lot of punctuation, which increases the sense of mystery and fear as well as the rhythm. However, there are a few formal words, such as “conceal”, “quieten” and “billowing”.
Domande da interrogazione
- What challenges do the children face when deciding what to do with their mother's corpse?
- How do Jack and Julie handle the physical task of preparing their mother's body for concealment?
The children face several challenges, including the emotional distress of comforting little Tom, the logistical difficulties of hiding the corpse without being seen, and the need to keep it a secret from Tom. Jack, the eldest, feels the weight of leadership but also experiences his own fragility.
Jack and Julie struggle with the emotional and physical task of wrapping their mother's body in a sheet. Jack avoids looking at her face and experiences a moment of vulnerability, crying for her. The body is difficult to wrap due to its contorted state, adding to their emotional burden.
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