The parents

The parents are important characters in the story “Born of Man and Woman” by Richard Matheson. Their outer characterization suggests that they have at least three children, as the child mentions “the little mother and the little father” (p. 185, l. 3). Although the other children seem to look normal, the child-narrator is deformed and kept hidden in the cellar. The father describes his wife as being “pretty” (p. 184, l. 1) and himself as “decent enough” (p. 184, l. 1). The child mentions the family going to church (p. 185, l. 8), so the parents might be religious. The parents also seem to think the presence of the deformed child comes as a punishment from God: “Oh mygod mygod she said why have you done this to me?” (p. 185, l. 18) 

In terms of t...