Themes and message

Loss of innocence

The short story “The Death of Tommy Grimes” by R.J. Meaddough, III explores the theme of loss of innocence through Tommy, the main character. At the beginning of the story, Tommy recalls being scared and innocent a year prior to the main event, when he could not even shoot a weasel that attacked the hens. Tommy’s innocence and child-like behavior disappoint his father, who teaches him how to use a rifle and, implicitly, trains him to become what he believes to be a man.

Tommy loses his innocence once he kills the black man and looks at the dead body, showing no remorse. This mirrors his father’s words about a man dying after having his first kill (p. 1, ll. 18-20). As Tommy symbolically loses his innocence, he becomes one of the men; he is received in the Hut and given a drink, like one of his father’s friends. 

Tom...