Analysis

Here, we will show you a small part of our analysis of the short story “How Did I Get Away with Killing One of the Biggest Lawyers in the State? It Was Easy” by Alice Walker.

The events of the plot are obvious from the title, and the narration is more about how and why the events happened. The story focuses on why the narrator killed the lawyer, drawing attention to important social issues like African-American rights. Another important character is the narrator's mother.

The story takes place in the US. The social setting explores aspects related to discrimination against African Americans, the Civil Rights Movement, the privileges of white Americans, the gap between the rich and the poor, motherhood, rape, and adultery.

The narrator’s reliability is questionable, given that she killed a man, and she does not seem to regret it at all. Given that the man was her rapist, readers can understand what influenced her actions.

The language is easy to follow and has many interesting features. For example, a series of rhetorical questions are meant to excuse the narrator’s behavior while conveying some self-criticism, as the narrator mentions that feeling loved was more important than the African-American fight for civil rights:

You can read our full analysis in the following pages.