It was December — a bright frozen day in the early morning.
This morning, I’m looking at the beginning sentence of “A Worn Path” because of its lack of specificity (in O’Connor-speak, its mysteries and manners). Note how the only specific elements mentioned are that it’s December, and it’s morning. Elements that aren’t given:
- The specific time or day,
- The specific December,
- The specific setting,
- How early is “early”,
- How bright is “bright”,
- How frozen it was.
And yet, from these lack of elements, we are able to draw our own picture. Also note the curious backtracking of order:
- December is established;
- Day is established; and, then,
- Morning is established.
We’re grounded in December, jump ahead to the day, and then jump back to the morning.
Question:
Without looking at the rest of the story hyperlinked above, does the next sentence — and, for that matter, the rest of the paragraph — lead us into a story that takes place outside, or inside?
