Analysis of After the Ice by Paul Crenshaw

After the Ice by Paul Crenshaw is a story about how the author's young nephew, Keith, was killed by his stepfather around the time of an ice storm. Paul Crenshaw says that he only remembered the ice because of his nephew's death at the time. He appears to be a credible author, as he is an assistant professor of English at Elon University, and published two essays, one in the Southern Humanities Review and the other in the Connecticut Review. He recalls the interactions with his nephew in the days before his death, and as his very last interaction, remembers when Keith's stepfather brought Keith to the grocery store where Paul worked. Keith was crying, and as soon as Paul held out his hands and let Keith run to his arms, Keith stopped crying, feeling safe. Paul handed Keith back to his stepfather afterwards, and he immediately started to cry again. This part was stated with a bit of remorse, as Paul said that, at the time, it was impossible to have known the reason why. The author's purpose seemed to be to show that as he grew older, he began to forgive the stepfather, and he made himself force the forgiveness out. He felt as though if he had been more receptive before Keith's murder, Keith would still be alive, and he can't forgive the stepfather if he can't forgive himself. I believe that Paul Crenshaw's purpose was also to tell the story of his nephew, and how one event can affect someone for the rest of their life, making them link it to something seemingly insignificant like an ice storm. The essay seemed to be written for a curious audience, one that is into stories about criminals, or one that would like to know how losing someone important would affect someone's life.

This photo symbolizes Keith's situation in the story. He couldn't turn to anyone for help because he knew that his stepfather would kill him.