When we are born, we know nothing and therefore everything we do, we do from scratch. We are bound to have a first time experience with everything. Whether we like it or not. Some of these first times will be memorable. A lot of them will not, but those we do remember have marked us for life. It is not important whether it is your first A grade in school, seeing your mother mourn or realizing that everybody at some point are going to die. It will affect you for the rest of your life - A lesson for life.
The story is written and publish in 2003 but takes place on a Saturday afternoon in the late summer of 1888 in a small town called “Port William”. The town is rather small and consist of two rows of houses. The town only have the most necessary services to offer; such as a blacksmith shop, school, hotel and a couple of bars. The town is located in the middle of nowhere, therefore law does not exist in the same way it does everyelse because there is no one to enforce it. In generel the environment is very rough; small bar-fights develop into brutal beatings and children often die due to sickness or misfortune.
The main characters of the story are Mat Fletcher and his mother Nancy Fletcher. Nancy Fletcher is married to Ben Fletcher. Mat is their fourth child but the only one left because the other three died. Nancy only wears black clothes, as you do at a funeral or when you are grieving, this is a symbol for her constant grief over the loss of her first three children. She is a kind and friendly person and is not afraid to help strangers in need.
Through the whole story Nancy Fletcher is grieving, she is not sad but grieving. She has a hard time accepting the death of her children but manage to live a relatively regular life. As the story goes on and the man comes in to the house needing treatment its like the cup is full and she can not handle more death.
Mat Fletcher is a little 5 year old boy. The most of his life