The Boy with the Scarlet Heart
Murder: the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. This crime can be committed by a pull on a trigger, a stab from a knife, an addiction birthed by the deadly dance with drugs, a signing of a tear-stained letter, an attempt to fly from a tree too high…... or the abuse of power one presents over a fragile human; neglecting what struggles they face in order to push them to the edge. With every murder, there is a body left with no soul, a killer hiding somewhere dark, and the inevitable destruction of the senses. The latter happens not just to the victim, but their loved ones as well. All they can smell is fresh dirt from the graveyard. All they can hear is their own thoughts drowning in the abyss of their mind. All they can taste is the metallic flavor of blood in their mouth. They touch everything but feel nothing. It’s only their sight that doesn’t fail them. They see everything crystal clear, just painted in a different color: red. It’s the one color that won’t leave their mind, haunting and confusing them with its’ ambiguous nature. Red could mean something …show more content…
For example, the narrator said this about Doodle, “He was born when I was six and was, from the outset, a disappointment. He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man’s. Everybody thought he was going to die—everybody except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him. She said he would live because he was born in a caul, and cauls were made from Jesus’ nightgown. Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him” (Hurst, ll. 19-24). The caul and the colors that covered Doodle is what made his family start planning a funeral. The dark, intimidating red that made his skin a war zone frightened them so much, they thought death’s arms would greet him more kindly than