"The terms are strict and absolute; there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child"
I found this story both incredibly interesting and thought-provoking. Inherent in the nature of the story is a question that it poses for the reader: what would I do if I went to see the little child locked in the cellar -- furthermore, is it justified for an entire city to live in such prosperity all as a result of one child's extreme misery?
As much as I would like to play the role of the selfless hero and say that I would walk out of the streets and into the unknown, I'm not sure that I would. I posit that it is impossible to make such a claim without having lived in the circumstances of bliss that encompass the situation. Even getting up and walking out of my life as it exists today after seeing a child in misery like that would be a struggle for me; to leave everything that I know and everybody I love, complete with everything I despise or do not care for, without so much as a word seems an unimaginable burden. I loved this story because of how incredibly thought-provoking it was. This was easily my favorite short story we have covered in this class to date.
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