Son of satan part 2 of an essay

Son of Satan 2

Bullying is something which almost every child experiences or carries out at some time in their life. In most cases it ceases without further problems, but it can also get out of hand and in the worst case be potentially fatal for the victim. In the short story Son of Satan, the last-mentioned case is being realized, as three young boys decide to harass a fourth boy from their neighborhood. Somehow the situation gets out of hand and one can’t help wondering what makes the situation escalate.
The short story is being told by a first-person narrator, namely our protagonist whose name we do not know, which furthermore appears directly in the story. However it is through his eyes, actions and point of view that we read the story, which makes him a limited narrator. This fact makes it worth considering whether he is a reliable source or not. In this case, I would define our protagonist as reliable. He tells us exactly what happens during the short period of time in which the short story lasts. Due to our protagonist being a child, we as readers are furthermore able to interpret the background of his actions and put them into perspective.
The author's style is characterized by "showing" rather than "telling" I.e.- he does not give detailed descriptions of the characters' emotions. Instead he uses expressions like " i just had this vacant feelings and it was centered in my stomach" this implies that the protagonist is guilt-ridden and feels bad about what he has done to Simpson. Another thing which is characteristic for the story is the lack of emotions and feelings even when the boys terrorize Simpson in the most dreadful way. The horrible way in which Simpson is tortured is written in a matter of fact way the makes is seem even worse. This is seen in the text " I places the noose over Simpsons head. I yanked…. Then I took….. I knotted the rope and yelled, " let's get the fuck out of here!" we looked at Simpson….. He was spinning around….1
The language is also an important treasure of this story. The language is very harsh and tilled with obscenities, even sexual ones. The fact that this language is used by children makes it shocking to the readers, and says a lot about the neighborhood and the parenting in this story.

The title “Son of Satan” fits the story nicely. The main character’s behavior in the text isn’t normal for a boy at his age, so there must be an explanation. His actions are very likely to be caused from bad parenting, since his father appears to be aggressive and temperamental. His father beats him and his actions are so aggressive, that you might believe he is going to kill his own son. This is seen in the text, where it says “He was upon me with a rush. There was a blinding flash of light and a blow so hard that I really didn’t feel it. I was on the floor. I got up” . Although his father refuses, that the main character is his son, when he calls him son of Satan, his satanic actions show us otherwise.

To sum up the facts above into consideration helps us understand why our protagonist behaves the way he does. The conditions in which he lives under at home, has definitely affected him in an adverse manner. His father is far from the role model a young boy needs. Actually, the physical punishment inflicted on him by his father, is likely to have made him violent himself.