would be Lena’s next. The men whispered coarse conjectures between

guzzles of whiskey."
Commentary: This really is a statement on the differences between men and women. Almost the whole story, men are the ones giving the information and it is all talked about in a store and they are just talking talk and never really wonder anything. The women, when they are brought up are gossiping about who Lena is gonna go after next instead of talking about how awful everything was or just being polite because they are doing this over the funeral meats. The men are also again showed as just men sort of in a barber shop where they just talk but they are doing it while they drink to remember and forget their friends and this really shows that nothing has changed for them.

“New, Ah reckon not, Walter. Tell yuh the truth, Ah’m a lil bit skittish.

🤬 died too wicket—died cussin’ he did. You know he thought he wuz

done outa life.”

It is ironic that even after his death, 🤬 still evoked fear in the majority of the towns people. It proves how much influence he had over the entire town, perhaps they feared him though because they too suspected Joe was 🤬's killer. I also find it sort of "funny" that they mentioned earlier in the story that 🤬 had never met his match, especially in Joe, and then shortly after he was "killed by Joe". But perhaps his own guilt drove him to make impulsive decisions and led to his death. Just a couple of disorganized thoughts.

 "🤬 steps right up and starts ridin’. The rest of us was skeered to go near it.”
Dialectical: This quote shows how other characters view 🤬. they see him as a higher character that cannot be matched by normal people. He does things that other people cannot do. It seems like he goes by his own rules, and there is nothing anyone can do to change his mind. This be generalized to show that men as a whole control other people's lives, the women were just talking about him, they did not do anything to change him.

 

Analysis: This excerpt for me felt like the turning point for our protagonist Delia. She moves from really being susceptible and passive toward the behavior of Sykes. In the end, she does get her sort of passive revenge on him but this is where I really thought she was going to do something about his behavior. The author uses imagery and metaphors in this excerpt to illustrate her turn. Like comparing the snakes teeth to a sword or her calling her anger bloody. The blood and sword definitely foreshadows some kind of death or violence in the conclusion. The same way she does not avert her eyes from the snake she will not avert her eyes from Sykes.

🤬’s done gone too fur.”

It's safe to assume that Joe would not have gone after 🤬 with a knife if he wasn't encouraged by these townspeople. Even though these men are not directly involved in this situation, they act as though they know exactly what is right and wrong, and who should win at the end. It's like a game for them. They want to see how far they can push Joe, and they end up being successful in their mission to cause a confrontation between Joe and 🤬. They continue to call others cowards when they are cowards themselves.

who a few hours before would have been afraid to come within ten feet

of him, stood leering triumphantly down upon the fallen giant as if his

fingers had been the teeth of steel that laid him low.

This scene is characteristic of the way the inhabitants of the town treat 🤬. They show him deference, even friendliness, to his face, but feel free to speculate and gossip about him behind his back. One has to wonder who exactly is the cautionary tale? Was is 🤬, who, if inconsiderate, was arguably justified in his actions, yet ended up dead? Or are readers supposed to scorn the people of the town for their treatment of him?

This quote informs the readers that from the beginning, Delia and Sykes had never had a happy marriage. Delia has been dealing with his abuse for so long, so it brings up the question of why did she stay with him. One explanation could be that she, being very religious, made herself stay in the marriage because she somehow saw hope in their future. Also, during this time period, it wasn’t exactly acceptable women to just leave their husbands. This fact also makes the ending more significant. She was at a point where she couldn’t endure anymore of his abuse, and the snake granted her freedom. 

wuz a braver man than 🤬.”
this quote is important because it develops the motif of courageousness and cowards by bringing to light the switched roles of 🤬 and joe. At the beginning of the story joe was seen as being cowardly. however by the end of the story joe is viewed as a courageous figure who after death terrifies 🤬. This brings up questions like what does it mean to be courageous if the most fearless man in town is afraid of a puny man like joe. It also brings up the idea that even the most put together person can be brought to their knees by superstition.

 

“Ah aint gut tuh do nuthin’ uh de kin’–fact is Ah aint got tuh do nothin’ but die. 🤬 no use uh you puttin’ on airs makin’ out lak you skeered uh dat snake–he’s gointer stay right heah tell he die. He wouldn’t 🤬 cause Ah knows how tuh handle ‘im. Nohow he wouldn’t risk breakin’ out his fangs ‘gin yo’ skinny laigs.”
Sykes had mistreated Delia with beatings and tormented her with things similar to snakes and an actual snake towards. He was always with some random woman who wasn't his wife, Delia. The two of them argued and it got to the point where they'd hardly talk to each other. It seems that all Sykes can do is agitate Delia and him bringing an actual snake was the last straw for her. So when he actually needed Delia's help, she stood by and let him die because, what had he done for her in the past few years let alone weeks or days.

Slemmons lied to Missy about his gold, just how Missy lied to Joe. Along with feeling the shame of cheating on her husband, Missy now realizes that it was all for nothing because the gold wasn’t real. This is karma coming back to her after betraying Joe. Even though he eventually forgives her, she will now always be reminded that she was not only a cheater, she was a fool. It goes to show that being greedy often times does not end well for people. 

This quote calls attention to the fact that Isis makes the best out of every situation, and doesn’t let anything stop her from living her life to the fullest. Even though she had a torn dress, she came up with a solution fast and didn’t dwell on it. Her grandmother saw this as disobedience, but Isis just sees it as bringing light into a situation. 

This quote is important because it shows how Bentley being angry his whole life didn’t help him at all. If he would have just calmed down and accepted John, then he wouldn’t have died. It goes to show that being resentful doesn’t help you in the long run.