Literary Analysis Essay on Death of a Hired Man and the Lightning Rod Man

The narrative trope that these two texts consider is the theme of good and bad. In the death of a hired man, it talks about three themes namely; abandonment, work ethic, and death. These themes are integrated together to develop the plot of the poem. In the poem "Silas depicts the kind of man who feels the sense of duty and fulfillment in his work. However Silas dies alone, and it represents what happens to the elderly when death conquers them (Baym n.p). " The main theme in the lightning-rod man is the fear of individuals are normally greater than the detriment what caused the fear in them. The moment the lightning-rod man tries to use the fear of getting struck by lightning in order to lure people into buying his product shows that the risk of being tricked by the lightning rod man is of significance than the actual possibility of being struck by lightning.

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Robert Frost uses descriptive elements to allow the reader to develop his or her own image concerning the main theme of the poem. For example, they have a discussion on where he comes from, his family and his escapades (Baym n.p). "His Brother's rich, a director in the bank." The two are discussing a man as if they are making an account of the life of someone who has died. Herman Melville uses dialogue to show the personality, emotions, and actions of characters within the play. The lightning rod man is an ostentatious pretender who wants to instill fear in people so that they can purchase his lightning rod. Hence he goes around in thunderstorms intimidating people with death by lightning if they do not pay up. Towards the end of the play, the lightning rod man attacks so that the protagonist can break his people and overcome fear.

The protagonist in the lightning rod man is the voice of reason; the good guy who is not afraid of lightning and reveals deceptions and bounder (Greenleaf n.p). Robert Frost, in the "death of the hired man" uses an iron to try and deepen the meaning and thereby retain the reader's interest. "Even after Silas' tried to die in the company of Mary and Warren, the folks whom he regards as a family more than other, ironically he dies alone without even completing his contract to ditch the field and clear the upper pasture." The reason is his attempts to fulfill the contract and gain satisfaction from his work is not successful.

The author develops a clear contrast between Mary and Warren to illustrate the theme of good and bad (Greenleaf n.p). Mary is compassionate and willing to assist Silas, however, Warren has feelings of resentment over the broken contract. Further, Warren does not believe they are liable for anything to Silas and feels that they are not bound to assist him in any way. In the lightning rod man, the author develops religious symbolism through his choice of words and the way he represents characters in the play to show the theme of good and bad. For instance, Verdier says "the tale may be seen as a confrontation between good and evil." (P.273).The narrator is seen as a religious man who follows the statutes of God whereas the lightning-rod man is depicted as a bad character who is only focused on tricking folks into purchasing his products.

Works Cited

Verdier, Douglas L. "Who Is the Lightning-Rod Man?." Studies in Short Fiction 18.3 (2011): 273.

Greenleaf, Robert K. "The servant as leader." (2008).

Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine, eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Eighth International Student Edition. WW Norton & Company, 2011.