One-minute review: A Swede comes to the town of Romper in Nebraska and stays in the Blue Hotel. He seems determined to be killed. He acts as if he is in the “wild west” and is afraid that everyone around him wants to kill him. But when he accuses Johnny of cheating at cards, he fights like a demon and whips Johnny. He leaves the Blue Hotel to find other accommodations. This time he feels exultant at his beating Johnny and tries to force a gambler to drink with him. As they fight, the gambler pulls a knife and fulfills the Swede’s death wish by killing him.
Comment: The Swede wanted to be killed and did everything, perhaps unconsciously, to maneuver people into accomplishing it. RayS.
Note:Over the years, I have read hundreds of short stories. In this blog, I am going to summarize as many of them as I can. RayS.
Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Eds. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1989.
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