Analysis Of A Short Story: "Myself And A Rabbit" by Michael Mac Grian

In the short story "Myself and a Rabbit," by Michael Mac Grian, a man is encountered by a rabbit who is being chased by a brown-coated weasel, on a lovely summer afternoon. The poetic short story finds itself going into great detail as to how the rabbit is moving aimlessly within a field of bulrushes, as a clever stoat chases the rabbit, and is consumed by its scent. The narrator then expresses the movements of the rabbit and stoat. The rabbit clearly is moving arbitrarily in an attempt to confuse the stoat, while the stoat is making clear, distinct steps towards the rabbit due to the redolent scent that is being read by the stoat's extrasensory organs. The narrator then describes how he soon feels a connection towards the hopeless rabbit. At that point, the author causes the rabbit to come running towards the narrator and have the rabbit hide itself near the

narrator's shoes.

Is this a rabbit?

Vampire Rabbit

Rabbits at Rehalpstraße

In a way, Mac Grian creates this scene to allow the reader to better visualize the interpersonal connection that the narrator and rabbit share.

Another interesting input from the narrator comes near the end of the short story. He describes how useless and aloof rabbits are to their surroundings. The narrator then discusses how he would love to kill the rabbit he just saved from the rapacious stoat. He states that he would "take it up by the hind legs and bring down the edge of [his] right hand on its neck with a clean quick blow." Clearly, the connection between the rabbit and the narrator has turned from immaculate sympathy, to malevolent antipathy. However, the narrator feels that no matter what, the rabbit will die, but that it is better for him to think of it having a quick...