Sandcastles by Jesus Hardwell

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"Sandcastles" by Jesus Hardwell The setting of "Sandcastles" by Jesus Hardwell takes place in the summer of a remote crescent shaped beach. Three best friends ran, played, and explored, as they had nowhere else to be. When one thinks of a beach setting like this one, it brings about happy thoughts of relaxation, children laughing, playing in the surf and sand. When the boys run into a strange woman on a remote stretch of the beach, who has a darker plan for herself that day, the woman deceives the boys into helping her to ultimately end her life. The setting of the story is connected to theme loss of innocence. By reading the beginning of the story, and its title "Sandcastles,” you think it’s going to be a nice relaxing day at the beach for the three boys. However, when the woman comes into play she changes the whole mood of the story from fun a day for the boys exploring to a darker plan of sadness and death. The reason why the story’s theme is loss or innocence is because when the boys came to the beach they were expecting to have a fun-relaxing day. Until they run into a woman on a remote beach who deceives them into helping her end her life. The woman made her suicide look like a game to the boys. They believe her at first until the final “Game.” They catch on to the woman’s plan; this is where the boys lose a little bit of their innocence. To take part in this event, would change the boys forever. After witnessing what they did, they may never feel the same way they did about the beach as they used to. They might also feel guilty for helping the woman kill herself. An example from the story goes as fallows: one of the boy’s notices the woman crying at the waters edge. When the woman finishes, she turns to the boys and asks if they wanted to play one final game. Then

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