A Violent Mind

Henry Antrobus, also known as Cain, is a violent child. The story mentions that he killed his brother – it alludes that his name is Able – with a stone. After his brother died, he was still considered a violent child. Henry tried to stop being a vicious child; however, other people’s actions cause him to become more aggressive. In Act II, “Everybody’s always getting mad. Everybody’s always trying to push you around. I’ll make him sorry for this; I’ll make him sorry” (Wilder 62). The way people treat Henry, is why he is an aggressive child.

In Act III, the war is over and Henry is independent. Although he is still considered violent, his mother Mrs. Antrobus still accepts him and his flaws. When he comes home, Henry finds out that his father hates him. Henry says to his father, “Shoot me, I tell you. You don’t have to think I’m any relation of yours … I’m alone, and that’s all I want to be: alone. So you can shoot me” (Wilder 110). Henry is starting to feel unwelcomed in his family, and he wants to die. Also, knowing that Mr. Antrobus pull out a gun and threatens to kill Henry, I learned that Henry gets his aggressive behavior from his father.

While reading this story I asked myself, why? Why does Henry come back home? Where he knows he is not welcome? Why do other people still treat him like a bad child? When Henry is independent, and does not mean to harm others.