To me, the story Noon Wine, draws slight parallels to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Although these parallels are not seen instantly, they become more defined as the story of Helton's arrival on the farm progresses. When Hatch arrives to gather a bounty on Helton, he explains that Helton went mentally insane one day while farming and consequently, killed his brother with a pitchfork. As this story unfolds, evil seems to become ever more present within the story.
Does anybody else see this parallel?
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2 comments:
I guess I can see that parallel to Cain and Abel how Helton killed his brother. However, I don't think that the story is about that as much as it is about the good and evil inside of Mr. Thompson. The evil side of Mr. Thompson is shown when he sees Hatch stab Helton but it is a figment of his imagination. This is what causes him to kill Hatch. His good side is his guilt about the killing, even though he wasn't found guilty because it was self defense. He feels like the whole town looks at him and sees a murderer so he decides he needs to kill himself to set things straight. So, although Helton did kill his brother, I don't think that's the central theme enough to be a Cain and Abel story.
I like the Cain and Abel parallel. Upon my first reading of the story I did not notice this myself but after your post and our class discussion today, I find it rather interesting that there is somewhat of a parallel. Mr. Helton and his brother could (possibly) be the modern day Cain and Abel since Mr. Helton kills his brother in a field. He is then marked, just as Cain, with protection. He is sent to an asylum, which signifies safety and protection. Even though some of the analogies may be a stretch, there are still connections between the two stories.
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