A Shocking Accident | Analysis

Here you find Studienet's thorough guide for analysis of the short story "A Shocking Accident" by Graham Greene. In the study guide, we will deal with various elements in the short story that are relevant for a typical analysis. We also provide you with a summary of the story and help relating the story to other texts.

Presentation of the text

Title: “A Shocking Accident”
Author: Graham Greene
Published in: May We Borrow Your Husband? (collection)
Date of Publication: 1967
Genre: Short Story

Graham Greene (1904-1991) was an English writer who gained popularity through his novels, many of which were approached from a religious (Catholic) point of view. Many of Greene’s literary works (thrillers or other novels) have been adapted for film or television. Today, Greene is mostly known for novels such as The Power and the Glory or The End of the Affair.

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of short stories? See our general guide for more:

Engelsk

Short story analysis

I denne vejledning får du Studienets hjælp til at analysere noveller (short stories) i engelsk.

Excerpt from the study guide:

Title

The title of the short story refers to the “shocking accident” that killed Jerome’s father: the man was crushed by a pig that fell on him from a balcony in Naples:

Your father was walking along a street in Naples when a pig fell on him. A shocking accident. Apparently in the poorer quarters of Naples they keep pigs on their balconies. This one was on the fifth floor. It had grown too fat. The balcony broke. The pig fell on your father.

In fact, the expression “shocking accident” is repeated three times in the story, when Mr. Wordsworth gives Jerome the news and when Jerome’s aunt talks about the event with other people.

The title is also comical since the reader might assume that a “shocking accident” would refer to a violent or brutal event. In fact, the term “shocking” used in this context implies something “surprising” rather than “horrifying”.