Analysis

The short story “The Death of Tommy Grimes” by R.J. Meaddough, III has a non-chronological structure. The story focuses on a main event – Tommy killing his first prey – and inserts several flashbacks which reveal more about the characters and their motives. The story has a twist ending, which reveals that Tommy’s prey was not an animal, but a black man. 

The main character is Tommy Grimes, a 12-year-old boy. The story focuses on Tommy’s feelings and inner struggles, but also offers a brief presentation of Tom Grimes, his father. The story also examines how the father influences his son. 

The events take place in the US, in the state of Mississippi. The social setting explores the idea of hunting, which people do for various reasons. Furthermore, the story touches on racism and explores the concept of role models when it comes to father-son relationships.

The short story is told by a third-person narrator, who uses the perspective of Tommy. Readers have insight into what Tommy feels when he is hunting as well as into Tommy’s memories from the past year. 

The language used is colloquial, which highlights the characters’ backgrounds. Dialogue is also used to present how the relationships between characters develop. 

A full analysis of the story can be found in the following pages. 

Short story analysis

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