Characters
The main characters in “Mule Killers” by Lydia Peelle are the son, the father, and the grandfather. The short story explores the relationship between father and son in two ways; first, we get to see how the relationship between the young man and his father changes back in the day; then, we get to see how the narrator tries to understand the relationship between his father and grandfather and, consequently, the way he relates to them.
The narrator
During the present-day events, the narrator is depicted as being “twice as old” (l. 48) as his father was when he had an affair with the friend of the girl he was in love with. Besides this piece of information, we do not get to know more about his outer characterization, except that his mother is dead.
Inner characterization
When it comes to his inner characterization, the first thing we find out about him is that he is an insightful person. He carefully listens to his father’s story and is able to fill in the elements his father leaves out:
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The father
The narrator’s father is initially depicted when he was 18 (l. 1).
Outer characterization
His outer characterization shows that he is tall, but that he is awkward about it: “My father (…) has his father’s height, and he carries it apologetically” (l. 7).
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Inner characterization
When it comes to his inner characterization, the first thing we find out about him is that he used to be secretive and solitary:
He is trying hard to keep certain things stuffed deep inside his chest: things like fear, sadness, and uncertainty. He expects to outgrow all of these things very soon, and in the meantime, he works hard to keep them hidden. Lately, he has become secretive about the things he loves. (ll. 7-11)
As he is deeply in love with a girl named Eula Parker, he is oblivious to the fact that Eula’s friend is probably in love with him: “Afterward, when people gather in the yard, the other girl always smiles at him, but he never notices…” (ll. 16-17). When he gathers the courage to ask Eula to go for a soda with him, Eula’s friend is the one who accepts, and the young man feels obliged to take her.
The young man is certain that Eula is jealous of this meeting, so he tries to make her even more jealous by kissing the girl’s friend:
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The grandfather
The grandfather is not present in the present-day narrative and is only depicted through his son’s memories of him. His outer characterization is both rendered in association with his son’s - “My father (…) has his father’s height, and he carries it apologetically” (l. 7) - and individually - "Weary and white in the face" (l. 76)
The narrator’s grandfather owned a farm near Nashville and was a widower. When his son was 18, the man sold his mules and replaced them with tractors, which had become necessary to make his farm competitive.
Inner characterization
The man’s inner characterization shows that he loved his farm mules and regretted selling them: “Mercy, mercy, mercy, my grandfather said, that day they finally took Orphan. He’ll be...
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