I read a short story called A Shocking Accident. Writer of this story is Graham Greene. It have writed on 1967. The story is tradegy about of Jerome`s being killed by a falling pig.
The story starts when protagonist has called into his housemaster`s room. In room housemaster tells to Jerome that his father has died by accident. When she tells that she looks out of the window. Jerome thinks that she is doing it becauce she is lieing but the truth is she is doing it becauce she can`t look into Jeromes eyes and say that his father is died. Reason of dieing is incredible. He died because a pig falled on his neck! Jerome doesn`t believe the reason because he has always beliewed that his father is secret agent or something like that because he travelles so much.
Jerome has big problems with telling all people that how his father died. He doesn`t want that people start laughing when they hear that incredible reason. He has two methods how to tell it. First one is just telling straight how it happened and second one is a bit more complicated. When Jerome is older he has big problems on telling his fiancèe about his father. He scares at how his fiancèe called Sally takes it. That is the reason why Jerome hasn`t shown Sally to his aunt. But when the wedding day is coming he has to show Sally to his aunt. In aunt`s place Sally finally hears about Jerome`s father and on big Jeromes surprise she tooks it really well. Only what she asks is what happened to pig. Probubly the pig died because it falled on fifth floor and no one can survive it.
Short story was pretty good. Plot was easy so it was easy to catching up with it. I recommend this for anyone.

Written by Juuso

A Shocking Accident
Short story “A Shocking Accident” by Graham Greene tells about Jerome whose going through a tragedy (his father was killed by a falling pig). Jerome get engaged with Sally and she will chance Jerome’s world. Jerome becomes a different, happier person in the end of the story.
In the beginning Jerome was quite young when housemaster, Mr Wordsworth tells to Jerome that his father is died in accident. Mr Wordsworth tells him the incident of his father with the pig falling on him. Why Mr Wordsworth went to the window and turned his back on Jerome? maybe because he started laughing and he didn’t want show it to Jerome.
When Jerome was a child he believed that his father either “ran guns” or was a member of the British Secret Service. He thought his father is a kind of hero, as many of children are thinking about their parents. When he grew up he understood his dad was a common man who wrote books.
Soon, Jerome realized that this incident was a comedy to other people. Jerome rehearsed the method of recounting his father’s death because he wanted to reduce the comic. He was scared how people would relate. He had two possible methods. The first method led gently up to the accident, so it was described the listener was so well prepared that the death came really as an anti-climax. This method was good because people didn’t usually laugh him and they believed the story was true. The other method had virtue of brevity. In this way the main thing came up immediately so the listener was surprised and he didn’t understood story so he didn’t laugh. Jerome scared that his fiancée, Sally, would laugh when she will hear the story of his father’s death. He can’t tell that her himself. He knew that his aunt will inevitably tell how Jerome’s father dead for his fiancée, and that’s why he was very anxious about Sally meeting his aunt. Jerome’s aunt come to visit week before wedding and tell the story quickly and briefly to Sally. She was surprised but she didn’t laugh. Jerome was amazed because Sally didn’t laugh and that’s why Jerome feels his heart sang with joy and that his had appeased for ever!
Jerome and Mr Wordsworth’s dialogue tells little bit about them: Mr Wordsworth didn’t really know how to tell about death, he just shilly-shally. Finally he told it to Jerome and Jerome wasn’t so sure what to feel then. Maybe Wordsworth scared how would Jerome react. I think Mr Wordsworth is careful man, maybe little base (he almost laugh when said “a pig fell on him”. In dialogue Jerome was a silent, typical little boy who was just surprised by father’s death.
Sally’s final comment was very important for Jerome. The comment means that she understood how painful and dramatic father’s death was. She didn’t laugh, she was horrified. And that comment had appeased Jerome’s fear for ever. Sally’s great personality changes his life!
But what happened to pig? I think that pig is alive but he had hurt himself when he fell on Jerome’s father. Maybe the pig has now his own family and his living a life full of joy…… or maybe somebody have ate him. Who knows?

Written by Emma

A Short story by Graham Greene

Story tells about boy named by Jerome and how he have to cope with a difficult situation. At first Jerome finds out that his dad have been in a street accident in Naples. Jerome was always thought that his father were a great adventurer who travelled around the world and faced spectacular places. Jerome thinks that police was shooting his father or something, so he asked: Did they shoot him through the heart ? But nobody didn´t shoot him, not at all. He died when pig fell on him straight from the balcony, in the fifth floor and broke his neck. Not really very dignified death for a noble man, it just don´t fit Jerome´s thoughts. Jerome was shocked about the situation, but he also realize that he have to find some way to tell others how his dad was killed. It isn´t that easy… Every time he started to tell about his father´s accident, the listener can´t help grinning its face or starting at laugh. Everyone just laughs at Jerome´s story, nobody really try to understand real meaning and how it affect Jerome feelings. It irritates him so badly. He use two different ways to tell others, first one was to tell all the story just how it goes and second was to tell only that: ”My father was killed by a pig”. He only get others answer like this: ”How interesting. I never realized there was pig-sticking in Italy. Was your father keen on polo?” It was apparently too hard to understand…
Years after Jerome gets married a girl called Sally, but he afraid to tell even her about his fathers death. Jerome tried to tell her himself several times, but he was too anxious to know all she could that concerned him. Week before wedding he took Sally to dinner to see his aunt and then came the moment when he have to face Sally´s reaction to strange story. He just prepare to face contempt. But Sally didn´t laugh at all. At the she just said: ”How horrible. It makes you think,doesn´t it?Happening like that. Out of clear sky.” And Jerome was so happy, finally someone realized everything. It was first time ever that somebody didn´t laugh at his story.
The story was weird at first glance, but after I readed it several times it opened to me. But I really don´t like it so much. Text was hard to understand and it was full of strange words, so I can´t follow plot perfectly. I think the story could have been more interesting if it contained more plot twists. However it was rewarding when you really understand the meaning of this strange story.

Written by Silja