Death in the Woods

The butcher is a minor character, but he offers the old woman the only kindness readers are able to see. Why was the butcher included? Would the story feel different if the character were taken out? Why?

Anderson’s characters seem caught between pre- and post-industrial America. How is Mrs. Grimes an example of one of these kinds of characters?

Industrialism caused two artistic movements to come about in the 1800s—Realism and Romanticism. Realism attempts to show things as they are, no matter how pretty or ugly, while Romanticism embraces the traditional spirit of the individual considering the modern world. How is Anderson trying to reconcile these two styles in writing such a story?

The structure of “Death in the Woods” is nonlinear and set up in five distinct parts. Why do you feel Anderson chose this form to tell his story of the old woman and the narrator? How would the story change artistically if it were told in a chronological way?

Is the story more about the old woman, or the narrator? Explain your answer.

Based on this story alone, do you think Anderson is being critical of small-town America in the early 20th century, or is he trying to paint an accurate picture of life there? Cite evidence from the story to support your argument.

Is Mrs. Grimes a victim of circumstance, or could she have done more about her status in life? Explain your answer.

The reader doesn’t learn much about Mrs. Grimes’s daughter, but we do know that she dies early in life. If she had survived into adulthood, how could the old woman’s life have changed? Would it have been for the better, or for the worse? Would it have complicated things more, or helped her out in the long run?