Many writers enjoy writing about the human psyche. The story "The Child by Tiger", by Thomas Wolfe, is about an African American servant who initially seems to be very skillful and moral but who turns out to be very vengeful, consequently shooting up the town. People can have a hidden side to them that can be brought out by the type of environment that he is placed in. Specifically, the author uses symbolism, setting, and character to progress the story further along.
             First, the story uses symbolism to clarify its theme. In the story "The Child By Tiger", Wolfe often uses symbolism and refers to Prosser as a tiger. These symbolic references help convey the author's message. Wolfe implies that Prosser is cunning, sneaky, and vengeful which are the qualities of the tiger. It seems apparent that author use symbolism to help portray the personality of their main character.
             The setting of the story is very important because it lays the groundwork for the events of the story to unfold. In "Child By Tiger" the events that occur to Dick Prosser happen because of the type of environment he is placed in. He is surrounded by a town that does not have high regard for African Americans: "What happened, what passed between them, was never known. And, besides, no one was greatly interested. It was a crazy nigger with 'another nigger's woman." The bigotry in Prosser's town slowly eats away at him until he snaps. Wolfe uses the setting to his advantage because the story could not have happened if the setting had been different.
             In this story a large portion of the narrative relies on the strong presence of character to help clarify the point that the author is trying to make. The type of character that Wolfe uses in this story is a child because of their innocence. In the story, "The Child by Tiger", Wolfe creates the characters of Randy Shepperton and his friends to help in the description of Dick Prosser, the main...