A feeling of guilt and condemnation
Although Arnold can’t fully comprehend how terrible the situation is, for he is shocked, he tries to do everything he can in order to show his parents and others that he is not a cold-hearted murderer. The boy has never heard so many accusations in his life. His own feeling of guilt and careless words of the sheriff, his uncle and the neighbors convince that he is a mean person. His mother’s rejection only confirms his suspicions. It is easy to guess how his life is going to develop, for he is already viewed by the society as a heartless monster. His tragedy is going to be his parents’ fault, who don’t even try to talk to their son and hear him out.
Of a weapon and a careless attitude
Is it a reasonable decision to give a nine-year-old a permission to have his own rifle? The answer is no! What do Arnold’s parent do? They just give it to him as if it is a stuffed animal. What is more, it turns out to be that on one cares about the gun safety rules, which means that such a kind of a tragedy could happen sooner or later. A weapon is not a source of entertainment, it is not a toy to play with and to underestimate it is a huge mistake. It is a shame that one boy has to die and the second one has to answer for their parents’ neglectfulness.
Brotherly love
Only a lazy one doesn’t question Arnold’s love for his brother. But what is love? Arnold knows that he wants to be near his brother and likes spending time with him, but that is all what he knows. Arnold is going to feel guilty for the rest of his day, so why bother to question how deep and strong his love is? It is not going to help neither Eugene nor Arnold. To do that means to prolong the boy’s suffering and make him to drown in guilt.
