To Hell With Dying

Walker writes this short story in first person point of view. The narrator, a now more matured woman, reminisces on her childhood memories of the “revivals” of Mr. Sweet but then towards the end she begins to talk about the present day and her attempt to save Mr. Sweet once again. The young girl is the narrator and protagonist in the story. The point of view affects the story because the reader cannot understand the pleasure that the children bring into Mr. Sweet’s somewhat meaningless life. With having the girl narrate the story, the reader is unable to detect her siblings’ emotional reaction to Mr. Sweet. Each characters outlook on a certain situation is vital to the overall story but the reader does not get that in Walker’s story.

The reader does not get any background informat

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In the Bible, it states, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Sweet’s physical appearance, the “revival” process and the setting in the story. Sweet was younger, he had ambitions of becoming a lawyer or doctor but decided to not pursue those careers because of his race. The setting seems very realistic for the time. Sweet not only became irresponsible with his farm but with money and his drinking and smoking habits as well.

The use of figurative language in this story is to help the story have greater depth and help the characters mature.

The theme in “To Hell with Dying” is loyalty to your neighbor. The atmosphere that the characters lived in was pleasant and homey because everyone was willing to help someone out if needed. Sweet was also an emotional man, especially when he was with the children or playing his guitar.

Common topics in this essay:
Sweet Little, Sweet Walkers, Golden Rule, Walker Sweets, Alice Walker, Hell Dying, Bible Love, story reader, , elderly neighbor sweet, story help, help story, neighbor sweet, reader learns, sweet girl, elderly neighbor, figurative language, hell dying, help revive,

Approximate Word count = 704
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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