An Overview of Pearl Crayton's 'The Day the World Almost Came to an End'
SUMMARY
One day, the narrator (twelve years old at the time), learns from her cousin Rena that the world is coming to end. Rena further urges her to repent in order to escape eternal damnation. The narrator is not accepting of this prophecy as she enjoys sinning, so she decides to wait until her father returns home to confirm whether or not it is true. As she waits for her father, she has several anxious thoughts where she recalls the worsts parts of Revelations she had read in the past and imagines what hell and the world ending would be like. When her father eventually reaches home, he seeks to reassure her that nobody truly knows when the world is coming to end. He discourages her from worrying about the world ending because this would deprive her of experiencing the joys of life. In the night, instead of following her father's advice to avoid worrying about the world ending, the narrator's apprehension intensifies as she tallies her sins and imagines all the 'real hot burning' that is in store for her because of all the wrongs she has done. When she hears a strange rumbling, she sees this as confirmation of the prophecy and runs from the house screaming that the world is coming to an end. It is her father, who is coming from church, who controls and comfort her. He declares that the strange sound is coming from an airplane. After hearing this, she cries because she is so relieved and then makes the decision to enjoy as much of what the world has to offer before it comes to an end.
CHARACTERS
- the narrator
- the narrator's father (a deacon in the church)
- Rena (the narrator's cousin)
- Miss Daya
- The hell fire preaching pastor
- the narrator's mother
SETTING
The story takes place in 1936 on a plantation in Louisiana.
POINT OF VIEW
The story is a first person narration from the narrator's perspective.
THEMES
- childhood experiences
- religion
- superstition
- innocence
- family relationships
TECHNIQUES
- irony
- contrast
- first person narration
- twist
KEY QUESTIONS
Below are a few questions and answers that you should find useful as you study the text.
What kind of relationship exists between the narrator and her father?
The protagonist has a close relationship with her father. When she hears that the world is coming to an end from her cousin, Rena, he is the person she believes will provide her with the most reliable explanation of what is happening or will happen. She trusts his advice and opinion. She decides to wait for him to return from the fields to confirm whether or not the prophecy her cousin tells her is true. He is the one who tells her that nobody really knows when the world is coming to an end so she should not allow the stories or prophecies that she is hearing to confuse or scare her unnecessarily. It is also her father who is able to calm her down when she runs from the house in the night screaming that the world is ending. He comforts her and tells her that the strange rumbling is coming from an airplane.
What is the role of the church in the story?
The church has a great influence on the lives of the people on the plantation. It is described as the ‘axis around which plantation life revolved’. The people who live on the plantation depend on the church to help them when they encounter difficulties, and it also prescribes how the people should live their lives.
The church has a ‘hell-fire preaching pastor’ who scares the members of the church with his sermons about hell and the devil. He uses these stories to drive fear in the people so they will conform to the teachings of the church and Bible. He exaggerates what will happen in the afterlife if they do not live an ‘upright’ life.
The narrator’s father is a deacon in the church, but it is clear from the way he seeks to assuage his daughter’s fear about the world ending that he is rational in his Christian beliefs. Unlike the other members of the church, he has not fallen victim to the scare tactics of the pastor.
How is the narrator presented?
The narrator attends a church where hell is presented as a fearsome place. She has heard a number of sermons where those who do not 'get religion' will end up in hell for eternity. There they they will burn forever and the devil will terrorize them with his pitchfork. However, she is adamant that she will not give up sinning. She resolves to keep on sinning for as long as she can and wait until enough time has passed to ‘get religion’. She maintains there are ‘too many delicious sins around to get into’ and refuses to give them up so easily. Of course, hearing about the prophecy of the world coming to an end has challenged her resolve because she had not anticipated the world coming to an end so quickly. She decides that before she gives in to the urgent appeal for her to ‘get religion’ before the day of the eclipse she needs to get confirmation from her father.
What is the twist in the story?
The narrator is convinced that the rumbling that she hears during the night is an indication that the world is indeed coming to an end. Terrified, she runs from her house screaming frantically that the world is ending. However, her father reveals that the rumbling is not a sign that the world is ending but merely an airplane making its way across the sky.
What is an example of irony that is present in the story?
The narrator, unwilling to believe Rena's information about the world ending in a few days, decides to wait for her father to come home so he can provide a true account of what is going to happen. She has come to rely on his word because he has proven to be level-headed. Her father does offer a reasonable answer, telling her that the world will end but nobody really knows when it will happen. He further urges her not to spend every day scared to death anticipating the end of the world. Ironically, though she had expected her father to offer a rational response, it does nothing to temper her fears. Instead, her imagination goes into overdrive thinking about the world ending and the burning she would endure for her sins.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
- Why is the narrator the most appropriate character to relate the events in the story?
- What does the explanation of the connection between the eclipse and the world ending reveal about those who believe/share it?
- Though a minor character, how is the mother presented?
- What examples of humour are present in the story?
* You can discuss these questions with your peers during study sessions.
NOTE: As you read the story, remember it is important to know all you can about the characters, themes, setting and narrative techniques.
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