James Agee's A Death In The Family

I. SUBJECT A Death in the Family by James Agee portrays a riveting narrative of death, grief, and the profound impact of those left lost and shattered by tragedy. The story is set in picturesque Knoxville, Tennessee, in the summer of 1915, where Jay Follett is killed in a horrific car accident while rushing home to his wife, Mary, and their two young children, Rufus and Catherine. As the news of Jay’s demise unfolds, so does the well-being of his loved ones. Mary is left emotionally distraught and spiritually broken. Furthermore, Rufus and Catherine attempt to comprehend the notion of death, the complex world around them, and why their father is never coming home again. As Mary, with her parents, her brother, Andrew, and her beloved Aunt Hannah share their grief, they begin to learn more about themselves as they struggle between the heartache of death and …show more content…
An example of this dialect is Jay’s encounter with the ferryman, “Hope tain’t no trouble, brung ya up hyer sich an hour” (44). Agee’s incorporations of dialect help convey the language of the early twentieth century and the rustic setting throughout the plot.
Agee employs precise exact meaning through his descriptive narration, often using detailed explanations to exhibit elevated thought or emotion so that the reader can clearly understand the complex and distressing situation of the characters. An example is when Agee expatiates on Rufus’ examination of his father’s dead body.
[Jay] had his look of faint impatience, the chin strained a little upward...And in this slight urgency of the chin; in the small trendings of a frown which stayed in the skin; in the arch of the nose; and in the still, strong mouth, there was a look of pride...The arm was bent. Out of the dark suit, the starched cuff, sprang the hairy wrist. The wrist was angled; the hand was arched; none of the fingers touched each other.

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