To Hell with Dying Summary

Mr. Sweet is a diabetic and alcoholic who lives next door to the narrator. Mr. Sweet was once an ambitious man, but when he discovered the white man would not let him achieve his dreams, he became a guitar player so that he could say he could do one thing extraordinarily well. Mr. Sweet was married once, but his wife left him, so he lived alone all his life. From time to time, Mr. Sweet would take to his bed and everyone would believe he was dying. The narrator's father would take his children to Mr. Sweet's and declare that he could not die because the children needed him. The narrator would then kiss his face until Mr. Sweet would open his eyes. Then the children would play the guitar until Mr. Sweet was able to get...