Summary Of Badeye By Ron Rash

Throughout the short story “Badeye” by Ron Rash, the narrator grapples with a battle between conforming to his mother’s beliefs or defying her. The beginning of the story describes a man named Badeye Carter who, according to the community’s mothers, is a plague on Cliffside. As the story progresses, the narrator descends into what his mother sees as delinquency, first by getting snow cones from Badeye, who his mother believes to be a poor influence, then by collecting snakes. In the end, the narrator realizes the truth behind his mother’s views, yet continues to reminisce on his delinquency. The short story “Badeye” by Ron Rash uses religion, characterization, and irony of consequences to convey the teenage struggle between conforming to a parent’s views and rebelling to be one’s own person.

Throughout “Badeye,” the narrator’s mother views Badeye as “an intruder, a bringer of tooth decay, bad eating habits, and other things” which contrasts with the elusiveness the narrator sees (Rash 3). The use of the metaphor to compare Badeye to someone who is not welcome helps to set up the mother’s initial view of him. Furthermore, it creates a contrast between the grime his mother sees and the interest the narrator has, displaying the rebellious nature of the narrator still associating with Badeye. This rebellious nature is also shown when his mother voiced her disapproval, yet the narrator continued to get snow cones from Badeye. The narrator’s interest in Badeye, along with the temptation of the snowcones, contributed to his rebellion as he continued to feel a desire to return to Badeye. Because of Badeye’s unconformity and further, because of his mother’s distaste of Badeye, the narrator’s interest in him only heightens as the story progresses. To the boy, Badeye seemed like an untouchable man, almost