Short Story Review

In this story, the mistake that the government makes is valuing Equality over Equity. The government enforces a law which states that everyone must wear a handicap according to their strengths. This state of Equality is enforced until Harrison escapes prison and stands against the law. Equality is taken too literally by the government when in reality, it should allow everyone to be treated equally rather than having equal strengths and weaknesses.

Harrison's death symbolizes the society's fate which means they will continue to live in "Equality" where people will have to continue to wear handicaps corresponding to their strengths. Although Harrison truly believed in rebelling the government's law of Equality, his death failed to change the future for their society which is destined to remain the same.

4.5/5

At the end of this short
story, the police shows
up. At first, he is able to
convince them that he is
innocent but his guilt and
conscience (as well as his
madness) makes him
confess to the police
because he could hear the
old man's heartbeat.

This second theme describes the
narrator's mood and deranged
thoughts that are constantly
running through his mind. "The
Evil Eye" makes him so insane
to the point where he is forced
to murder the innocent old man.

4/5

As the story goes on, the narrator experiences a transformation for of his most significant character traits. The first transformation he makes is when he loses his interest in animals. At the beginning, the narrator had multiple pets including a rabbit and a monkey but he slowly begins to kill his pets one by one. This leads to his next transformation into a violent and abusive being who ends up killing his own wife in a sudden act of rage and madness.

The Gallows is a wooden frame where objects or people would be hung. After the narrator hangs Pluto on the gallows and kills him, another black cat appears with a white spot of fur. As time goes by, the white spot of fur begins to take shape of the gallows. This symbolizes the narrator's transformation into an abusive being and in the narrator's mind, it is a reminder for being a violent person, which increases his madness.

4/5

A key theme in this short story is Communication because the couple struggles to truly understand each other's feelings and opinion on abortion. Although they go back and forth about whether they should have the child or not, they fail to actually listen to each other.

4/5