”The Last Spin”, a short story written by Evan Hunter, tells us a touching story about two guys, Danny and Tigo. They are both gang members who have been chosen to play a game of Russian roulette, the purpose of which is to settle some of the gangs’ disagreements. The game takes place in a small basement room.
The protagonists of the story are basically both of the main characters, Danny and Tigo. This is because neither one of them is brought up or described more than the other. Danny and Tigo are both young men and share similar interests, both are wearing their own gangs’ jackets. The antagonist of the story is in some way the game that the guys are playing, which is also the story’s central conflict. In the end the game is resolved by Danny shooting himself.
The story also features some character development. In the beginning Tigo is Danny’s enemy and they are a bit cold to each other. As the game goes on, they start to talk about things and even have a laugh. They notice that they come along well, although being from different gangs, and that they suddenly have trust and friendship between them, which after Danny shooting himself leads to Tigo starting to cry.
The narrative point of view in ”The Last Spin” is third person omniscient, as the narrator seems to know what Danny and Tigo feel during the game. However, the narrator isn’t very important to the story, because most of the story consists of Danny and Tigo’s dialogue.
The main themes of the story deal with the shortness and vulnerability of life and how friendship can form even in strange situations, such as a game of life and death. It also tells that belonging to a gang doesn’t make you a bad person and that an enemy can sometimes be good.