The Hurt Man

The Hurt Man
Analysis and interpretation


“The Hurt Man” takes place in the western town Port William. It’s summer and the year is 1888. The story quickly introduces the reader to the main character Mat Feltner, who lives in the town with his mother and father. Mats’ parents lost their other children who are now barried at the town’s graveyard. Therefore Mat is an only child. Even though the loss was great, the parents keep going on with their life and think Mat is “a blessing” to their lives. A hot summer day Mat and his mother sit together on the front porch and look down on the town. Suddenly there seem to be trouble in the town and a man begins running up the street, getting closer and closer. The man is hurt and the mother, Nancy Feltner, lets him in. The hurt man’s friends arrive and Nancy begins washing blood of the hurt man. Mat is scared but slowly get closer to the hurt man and his mother. When he looks on his mother, he suddenly see a love and tenderness in her eyes, which deeply effects him. At the end of the story it becomes clear, that this very moment at the age of five, has followed him for the rest of his life.



The story deals with the theme “death”. “Death” is showed through the eyes of a five-year old, but is in spite of that, the look on death is both mature and kind of universal.