After the Ice, by Paul Crenshaw

            After the Ice, by Paul Crenshaw is a story about how the author’s nephew, Keith, was killed by his stepfather when he was eighteen months old. This all occurred at the time of an ice storm which Crenshaw vividly remember because of his nephew’s death. Paul writes this story while recalling memories of him interacting with his nephew, days before he died. One moment sticks out when Keith was at the grocery store with his stepfather, visiting Paul, “…When I handed him back to his stepfather he started crying again, though it would have been impossible, I am sure, to have known the reason why” (Crenshaw 41). Crenshaw wrote this essay because he wanted to explain that as he grew older, he started to forgive the stepfather and himself. He was angry that he did not notice any signs that Keith was abused, and that he could not save him. He wrote this story to show how one single event can affect and alter one’s life. This essay was written for people who have had a traumatic event impacting their lives, and ways to let it go.

            Crenshaw proves to be really credible because his stories appear in many reviews such as The Best American Essays 2005, South Dakota Review, and many more. Crenshaw also teaches writing and literature at Elon University.

            Reading this essay a sense of nostalgia is portrayed because the author feels that he should have been more receptive during the time that his nephew was alive and that he should have sensed something. It also shows how one former event affects his whole life. In a way, this essay is an epitaph because the sole purpose was to write about how Keith’s death affected his whole life.

The author does a really good job writing this essay because it gives off his mood during the whole story. Whether he is feeling gloomy, sad, or forgiving, you can follow the emotions due to the author’s tone. While you are reading this essay, you experience everything Crenshaw feels. The author achieves his purpose on showing how Keith’s death affected him for the rest of his life.

This image from Wilderness Survival Techniques represents death because winter is symbolic of death.