Summary

King tells his reader that his story “A Death” was the result of a vision that he had. He describes the style as being “dry and laconic” (138), which is different from his usual style.

In “A Death,” Jim Trusdale was in his shack when Sheriff Barclay and his deputies came to arrest him. The Sheriff ordered Trusdale to get into the wagon and asked him where his hat was. Trusdale claimed he must have lost it. The deputies searched his house, but could not find the hat.

During the drive to town, one of the deputies asked if Trusdale had raped the girl as well as stealing her silver dollar. Trusdale claimed not to know what he was talking about. At the jail, the Sheriff searched Trusdale but found nothing hidden on him. The Sheriff asked where the girl’s silver dollar was...