I agree with you and David Snider that the end of the story is the end of Arnold as we know him. But I felt his mother and father made two separate gestures that suggested they were "recognizing" him again. One is when the father puts the milk pitcher in front of A and the other is when his mother ask him "humbly" what he wanted when he …
I agree with you and David Snider that the end of the story is the end of Arnold as we know him. But I felt his mother and father made two separate gestures that suggested they were "recognizing" him again. One is when the father puts the milk pitcher in front of A and the other is when his mother ask him "humbly" what he wanted when he knocked at her door. The fact that she has paused to even ask him is telling. So I took that to mean that maybe they had begun to feel his pain, even if only a little. And that Arnold dies - is turned to stone - because he is ashamed / aghast to still be among the living, while his brother lies dead. So in a sense, the community and family don't deal the final blow. Arnold does. Arnold ends up being the cruelest of them all - to himself.
Thank you, Lisa, that is so eye-opening. Isn’t that the way it always goes? People are cruel to us, then we incorporate the cruelty, and take the reins.
I agree with you and David Snider that the end of the story is the end of Arnold as we know him. But I felt his mother and father made two separate gestures that suggested they were "recognizing" him again. One is when the father puts the milk pitcher in front of A and the other is when his mother ask him "humbly" what he wanted when he knocked at her door. The fact that she has paused to even ask him is telling. So I took that to mean that maybe they had begun to feel his pain, even if only a little. And that Arnold dies - is turned to stone - because he is ashamed / aghast to still be among the living, while his brother lies dead. So in a sense, the community and family don't deal the final blow. Arnold does. Arnold ends up being the cruelest of them all - to himself.
Thank you, Lisa, that is so eye-opening. Isn’t that the way it always goes? People are cruel to us, then we incorporate the cruelty, and take the reins.
Oh, absolutely. And it might have turned out different if they had understood and reached out to him before he completely hardened up.