The stone boy

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The Stone Boy Isolated by his family, betrayed by the community, and silenced by an accident, Arnold Curwing a child, shot his brother by mistake and his actions touched everyone. In the short story "The Stone Boy" Gina Berriault, walks us through a twenty four hour period of Arnold's toughest time, not the death of his brother, but the neglection by his family and community. What started as a good day for Arnold ended with his world shattered, with him having to grow up. Abandonment is one of the important themes surrounding Arnold in this story. It is first shown through the major scene in the story, the death of Eugie. Arnold abandons his brother after his death by just standing up, leaving the body and picking peas, he does not call for help. This theme is also illustrated through the boy’s relatives. His uncle, Andy, portrays a negative obstacle set in front of him. Uncle Andy made Arnold feel abandoned and hurt when he stated “Not a tear in his eye”, this statement proves to show that his uncle did not care for him at the time and did not help comfort him. The community within this story also intertwines with this theme. It is shown when a member of the area, Sullivan, expresses his feeling through the following “He don’t give a hoot, is that how it goes?” Each word that comes from his mouth pierces Arnold’s heart and has him left in the dust. Finally the abandonment of his mother was what hurt him the most. People argue that the perspective that your family has on you, is what matters to a person the most. When Arnold comes up to the door to talk to his mother and she blows him off telling that it is night and should be afraid. This neglecting from his mother may have wounded Arnold the most. Different forms of silence brought forth an eerie atmosphere to the short story. Arnold falls silent due to the death of his brother and his surroundings follow

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