Student Question
What is the point of view in Sherwood Anderson's "The Egg"?
Quick answer:
The point of view in Sherwood Anderson's "The Egg" is first-person, narrated by an unnamed character who reflects on his childhood experiences on a chicken farm. This perspective allows the narrator to explore how these experiences influenced his moral and ethical development. The story, which centers on the narrator's father, uses eggs and chickens as metaphors for human life, success, failure, and the pursuit of happiness.
"The Egg" is a short story written by American novelist and short story writer Sherwood Anderson; it was originally published in 1921, in Anderson's collection of short stories titled The Triumph of the Egg. The story is written and narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator; the narrator recalls his childhood and explains how his experiences as a young boy living on a chicken farm shaped his moral and ethical code in life. In fact, the story centers on the man's father.
The story is somewhat philosophical in nature, as the eggs and the chickens might actually be metaphorical symbols of our lives as humans and our successes and failures in life, as well as our never-ending quest for happiness and prosperity.
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