The Rattler

The author suggests compassion for the man and snake through details about the setting. In the first paragraph of the passage pleasant details in the dessert are presented, which are sadly disrupted for both man and snake. At the end of the day, the man takes his “first pleasant moment for a walk after the long blazing hours.” For him, this moment is enjoyable and relaxing as he was escaping the grind of daily life back at the ranch. His pleasant stroll does not include any sort of weapon, as he is not out hunting. This moment is intended to be enjoyed alone; he “thought [he] was the only thing abroad.” When he senses that he is not the only one out in the desert he “abruptly… stops short.” This sudden realization is not only shocking, b

ut makes the man uncomfortable. His walk looses its pleasantness as he comes across a “rattler [who] felt no necessity of getting out of anybody’s path.” As the two meet they watch each other intently; the man waiting see what the snake would do, the snake “waiting for [him] to show [his] intentions.” For a moment neither the snake nor the man move, each aware of the tenseness this chance meeting is creating. The man and snake have come to a crossroads, and due to this unfortunate timing each has a difficult choice to make. The man must decide whether to leave the snake be, or to work in the best interests of the unsuspecting women and children back at the ranch and kill the rattler. The rattler must first decide whether or not he is about to be attacked. He then must decide whether he should stay and fight; or leave even though he is capable of killing his attacker.

The writer implies empathy for the man and snake through details about the man. These details mainly show the man’s reluctance to kill, mainly suggesting sympathy for the man. After coming upon the snake, the man’s “first instinct was to let him go his way” and he would continue his walk. But, the man realizes that “there [are] children, dogs, horses…and women” back at the ranch. And though the snake was not a threat to him; if it wanders onto the ranch, it is a threat to those who may unknowingly provoke it. The man has “never killed an animal” and has never been “obliged to kill.” Still, the man decides that killing the rattler is something he must do. He is not h

Some topics in this essay:
, snake details, author suggests, snake rattler, snake details setting, sympathy snake, sensitivity actions, details setting, passage author, chance meeting,