Rationale In The Rattler

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Life is full of decisions that could literally force people to choose between life or death. In the Rattler, a man is forced to make this decision for an innocent snake. The emotions and rationale of the snake and the author are both presented. The author attempts to get the reader to empathize with him and sympathize with the snake by giving the snake a personality, narrating the story from his point of view, and creating a calm setting. The snake’s intelligence, fair treatment of the man, and gruesome death evoke sympathy from the reader. Upon seeing the man for the first time, the snake wisely “[holds] his ground in calm watchfulness”. He knows that the man could pose a threat, but he does nothing to create any unnecessary confrontation. …show more content…

However, the conflicting situation that the man is placed in, his thorough reasoning, and the necessary murder legitimize his actions and make the reader feel sorry for him for having to make such a decision. Specifically, he is forced to choose whether or not he should kill an animal that he “was not obliged to kill”. Clearly, his options are limited and the man will feel guilty regardless of the path he chooses to follow. The seriousness of the situation emphasizes that the decision is too great for the man to make, especially in his own eyes. However, since he is required to make the decision, he must thoroughly think and worry about it He then weighs the pros and cons of committing the murder, and determines that his “duty, plainly, was to kill the snake”. This decision is difficult for him to execute but is still justifiable. He knows that killing the snake is destroying part of the nature that he truly enjoys, but he must do it to protect his family and friends. He feels extremely remorseful ,but the reader understands why he’s doing what he’s doing because of his …show more content…

Everybody around him is now safe from the snake, but he was never a real danger to begin with. The man knew this from the start, despite the fact that the snake is inherently viewed as dangerous. This made the decision to kill him much more difficult to live with. In conclusion, the man’s regretful decision is so heartbreaking that the reader understands why he would go through with it despite the emotional impact it could cause. The setting is isolated, pleasant, and beautiful to contrast the ugly, emotionally packed situation that the man and the snake are placed in. The fact that the man and the snake are in a desert means that they can’t be influenced by someone in the immediate vicinity. This adds to the drama of the situation, since they are alone with their thoughts and any decision that they make is attributed solely to their conscience. This creates empathy for the man because he doesn’t have any advice and is unable to consider the direct opinions of other people. The snake, on the other hand, does not need to consider any outside opinions. The setting makes it seem like the snake is a hermit, living far away from the troubles of

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