dodged and the rat landed against a table leg. With clenched
             teeth, Bigger held the skillet; he was afraid to hurt it, afraid
             that he might miss. The rat squeaked and turned and ran in a
             narrow circle, looking for a place to hide; it leaped again past
             Bigger and scurried on dry rasping feet to one side of the box
             and then to the other, searching for the hole. Then it turned
             and reared upon its hind legs.
             "Hit im," Bigger!" Buddy shouted.
             "Kill im!" the woman screamedâ€
             Bigger aimed and let the skillet fly with a heavy grunt.
             There was a shattering of wood as the box caved in. The woman
             screamed and hid her face in her hands. Bigger tiptoed forward
             "I got im," he muttered, his clenched teeth based in a
             smile. "By God, I got im" (pp. 9-10).
             Murder and Repentence
             ...