Amy Blackman
Journal 3
Upon first reading the short story, “The Man In The Well” by Ira Sher, I first decided to analyze the title. I couldn’t figure out exactly what the story was about exactly by reading the title so I took the title literally. Since we have been reading stories about the concept of slavery and acceptance of African Americans, perhaps an African American Man was stuck in a well and since white people did not accept African Americans at this time, no one had the desire to help this man escape from the well. Or maybe the man in the well was hiding from someone or something.
After reading on, I became shocked. Instead of helping this man, these children began taunting the man in the well. I feel as though there taunting turned in to sort of a game for these children. These children would ask questions such as, “Hello. Is it dark?” or “Can you see the sky?” instead of responding to the man’s cry for help. They also left the man in the well, ignoring the severity of the predicament the man was in.
However, I was proven a bit wrong in the next paragraph when the children decided to bring “the man” food to eat. Here again, the man kept asking for help but the children would lie and say that help was on the way. Aaron said, “My father said don’t worry, because he’s coming with the police” (Sher 23). It’s almost as if they view “the man” in the well as their secret or as a game they do not want their authority figures to know about. Apparently one of the rules of the game was to not reveal your name to the man. Wendy broke one of the rules by saying, “I think they’re almost here. Aaron said his dad is almost here” (Sher 24). I felt bad for Wendy at this point. Essentially, Wendy had lost the game for the children.
Later on we find that this is a mistake on Wendy’s part. Aaron discovers the next day that Wendy had revealed his name to “the man” when “the man” had called out his name. Out of spite and anger, Aaron revealed all the other childrens’ name to “the man”. By this point, “the man” had realized that the children were not going to get him help and that they were playing a game with him. The man decides to play the game back with them, by using their names and asking them questions. “Aaron what do you think my name is?” or “All right, then Arthur. What do you think I look like?” (Sher 25). One of the major points of this game between “the man” and the children was to figure out each other’s names. By this point, the children had lost the game. “The man” had discovered their names. Clearly this had frightened the children, “even when we were much older, we didn’t go back. I will never go back” (Sher 25).
For such a simple and short story, it was a challenge. I did not see a clear plot or point to the story. Many times I would read the story but I don’t feel as though I grasped the underlying message. The story ends rather abruptly. We do not find out what happens to “the man” in the well. Also, we do not find out why “the man” was in the well to being with. I can sympathize with both sides of the story; “the man” and the children. The children saw the game as innocent however the man was always left helpless. However, maybe it turns out that “the man” was a criminal and maybe it’s best for him to remain in the well.
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