The Hanging Of Ephraim Wheeler Analysis

A Review of “The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler”

In the book, “The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler,” Irene Quenzler Brown and Richard D. Brown tell the story of Ephraim Wheeler, a man from Lennox, Massachusetts, who is 1806, was accused of raping his daughter. In “The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler” the Browns present the case to the reader, and without bias, allow the reader to form their own conclusion on Ephraim’s guiltiness. The Browns argue, not on Ephraim’s guilt, but on the impact of his trial. In order to present the case without any bias the Brown’s utilized the long term effects of the trial, but failed to provide any real evaluation of the event.

Ephraim Wheeler was a poor man who had been mistreated and belittled since the death of his parents

First and foremost being that it was easy to read. Most history books are very complex or boring, as they simply list facts. In “The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler” the Browns were able to tell history in a more story-like way. This made the text easier to follow and much more interesting. The book really grabs one attention beginning in the introduction. The main focus of the introduction was on the social issues occurring in Lenox, Massachusetts leading up to Ephraim’s trial. During the time there was much controversy over capital punishment for cases of rape. At the time capital punishment was the sentencing for rape, but it was very rare for a person to be hung for their crime. More often than not their lives were pardoned. By mentioning this in the introduction the Brown’s give you an idea of how this case will be related to the social issues on that time. This is very important to understand, because without this bit of information it is very difficult to see how this case impacted society. By reading the introduction it is very clear to see that a substantial amount of research was done. Not only was research done, but it was laid out in an easy to understand fashion that allowed the reader to understand it. The utilization of this background research made the impact of the trial clearer for the reader. It also helped the reader to better understand Ephraim, especially when during his time in jail. By

One of the biggest flaws was the lack of follow up. The reader is not told what happens following Ephraim’s execution. Probably the most frustrating part of this is not knowing what becomes of Ephraim’s family. There are many theories, but no actual record of them in history. Now although this is not the Browns’ fault, as a reader, it still causes some frustration towards the book. Also, the fact that there is little or no evaluation of the event is an issue. The purpose of a history book is often to evaluate the significance of the event, but this book does not do that directly. Through the information given the reader is able to understand the importance of the trial, but the book fails to directly address the significance of the event. The Browns were successful in utilizing the long term effects of the trial without showing bias in “The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler,” and even though they failed to provide a direct evaluation of the event, the book was still very successful. It is very obvious that a lot of research was put into this book. The research was well organized and properly utilized. The story like nature of this book made it easier to follow, but also factored into the failure to provide a true evaluation of the trial. Despite its faults “The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler” was truly a good