Grief

The author uses grief as the dominant theme in the novella as a way to inform how grief impacts the mental state of those in mourning.

The boys and Dad are all in a state of shock at the beginning of the novella. It is clear that they are coping with the sudden death in different ways but are connected through their interactions with Crow. Because the arrival of Crow is not likely a comforting image, it matches the unsettledness they all feel following the accident.

The way in which they cope with grief evolves throughout the story. It is clear that they are moving through the five stages of grief. Dad does not want to know how his wife died and avoids answering his sons when they ask, indicating denial. He yells obscenities as a way to express anger and is represented as a king...