Understanding «A Shocking Accident» (Chapter 6 – pp. 282-288)

A Shocking Accident The short story “A Shocking Accident” was written by Graham Greene, one of the most famous British writers of the twentieth century. Greene wrote scores of short stories, many of them with the aim of amusing his readers. He called these “entertainments”. The following is such a short story. It might be termed “black humour” because it deals with death in a humorous way.

Black humour The premise of this short story is that it is possible to die is such an absurd way that it is actually funny – to be killed by a falling pig. A further premise is that finding this manner of death amusing is not socially acceptable. Therefore the title “A Shocking Accident” has two meanings: It is shocking that Jerome’s father has been killed by accident It is shocking that his manner of death causes people to laugh

Jerome as victim As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Jerome is a victim of the absurdity of this father’s death. His question, “What happened to the pig” is interpreted as callousness by his teachers. He is given the nickname “Pig” at school after he tells the story to his best friend. To avoid ridicule, he decides to hide the way his father died, although his aunt misunderstands this because she has “no sense of humour”.

Jerome as survivor Jerome practices ways to tell of his father’s death that do not cause laughter: He tries to make the story boring by giving extreme detail. He tries to infer that his father was killed while hunting a pig. The reader, aware of Jerome’s problem, finds his efforts amusing

Jerome in love When Jerome falls in love with Sally, he continues to hide the manner of his father’s death from her (“It was very sudden. A street accident”). This adds a new element of tension to an absurd situation – hiding the truth from his love could destroy their relationship. No need to worry! When she finds out, she is truly shocked that such a thing could happen “Out of a clear sky”. Her statement – “I was wondering what happened to the poor pig?” – makes it clear that Jerome has found the perfect soul mate for life (and death).

The Human Comedy Many serious things in life nonetheless also have their amusing sides. Greene is a keen observer of such things. His object here not to make fun of Jerome, for whom he clearly feels sympathy. His aim is to make us laugh at the funny, often grotesque, situations life can place us in. And he succeeds!