The essay “After the Ice” by Paul Crenshaw is a very moving memoir from a first person point of view. Crenshaw describes the night that his nephew was murdered, along with the many nights surrounding it, including the trial, and Thanksgiving the year before. As the story continues, the truth unravels, providing the reader with information about the nephew’s stepfather, who murdered the young boy, and how the narrator handles the situation. Crenshaw beautifully describes the setting of the essay, connecting the sadness of death to the coldness and isolation of winter. The strength and symbolism of each word pulls at the audience’s emotions. Through his powerful diction, he conveys the message of grief and loss and provides a realistic insight to what comes after. Rather than just stating the actions of the murderer, the author delves into what could be going on in the killer’s mind, and what might have truly happened. It was different from other stories because rather than only hate, the main character tried to also understand the event from another point of view. I believe that Crenshaw is trying to send the message that there is more to every situation than what can be seen from far away. The story of the murder can not truly be told by newspaper articles. Any human who is affected by a loss due to murder would be an understandable audience for this piece. “After the Ice” allows readers to know that they are not alone in their feelings. The main character has a muddle of emotions in his head, and they do not always make sense. Because of this, readers are able to connect to the emotions. I believe that the vulnerability of this piece that Paul Crenshaw created allows the message to be clearly conveyed, along with his usage of symbolism and imagery. Crenshaw now shares his writing talent with future generations as an English teacher at Elon University.
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Imagery of Setting
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