Hit and Run Analysis
At the initial stages of the story, Frank epitomizes an individual who is less focused, harsh, disturbed and easily angered. Frank’s less focus is evident in an instance where the narrator highlights that when he hit the two girls, Frank only saw “two shadowy figures were just there; in front of the car; riding the windscreen; falling limply to the floor with a sickening slow roll…” (Ostler). Such statements point out to Frank’s lack of focus and how he was deeply involved in thoughts to the extent that he could not even see the children and only equated them to figures. Frank’s harshness is also evident when the narrator reports that he was “shouting at the kids at the back to calm down” although he was driving at high speed (Ostler). Such instance of shouting also points to his harshness and that he is disturbed deep-down. Finally, in most cases, when an individual is involved in an accident, they must do the required by calling the ambulance and reporting the matter to the police. However, when Frank decides to flee the scene of the accident, it points out to his recklessness and lack of focus.
After the story has ended, I had a change in attitude towards Frank. After learning that his mother was dying of cancer, and there is nothing doctors could do, Frank was not only shocked but also traumatized, thoughtless, and unable to comprehend events. Usually, such news would take a toll on anyone, and they would need a long period to comprehend and digest such devastating news. In that regard, after the end of the story, I placed myself in the shoes of Frank, understood his pain and subsequently changed the perception that I developed towards Frank at the initial stages of the story. The news about the impending and inevitable death of his mother might have not only broke him but also disoriented him, leaving him fragile and highly vulnerable as the narrator points out that “He felt the blow in his solar plexus, his insides crumbling into a ball of silent pain” (Ostler). Such instance shows that Frank was devastated by the news he received about the inevitable death of his mother. However, despite the harrowing nature of the news, losing focus and hitting the children crossing the streets was reckless and unacceptable in equal measure. Though such news would devastate any individual, Frank would have asked someone to drive the car for him or called for assistance until he absorbed the news. Therefore, despite the harrowing nature of the news and disorientation that is attributed to the news, Frank had no justification in causing the accident as he could have used public transport or even called someone to drive him home since he was overwhelmed by the news.
The narrator’s choice for conflict in the story does not only create a room for the readers to form a rush opinion about the characters in the story but also bring an aspect of emotional attachment between the character and the readers. By keeping the central conflict hidden until the last parts of the story provide a platform upon which readers could form opinions against the main character but later revert their views based on the unfolding events that are typified in the conflict. In that regard, I would use such a method of creating conflict to ensure that I elicit an aspect of tragedy to make the story not only interesting but also emotionally appealing.
Work Cited
Ostler, Mo. “Hit and Run. 2020. http://www.writingclasses.co.uk/story78.html