The day the world almost came to an end

Summary
 was written from an adult's point of view and chronicles the events that led to a
child's (the adult narrator's) belief that the world was about to end.

 takes place in 1936 on a Louisiana plantation, where the church served as the pivot
around which plantation life revolved. -Setting

 The narrator continued to be a sinner because she believed she couldn't 'live upright.'

 While she was playing, her cousin Rena informed her that the world was ending. This
was based on a conversation about the eclipse that Rena overheard and
misinterpreted.

 The hellfire sermons in church did not help to calm the narrator down, and she
became stressed as a result. She talked to her father about it, and he tried to calm her
down, but his statement that the world could end at any time only increased her
anxiety.

 The narrator had spent the night conjuring up images of doomsday, which caused her
to overreact when she heard the rumblings of an old airplane.

 She screamed as she ran out of her house that the world was ending. Her father
stopped her on the highway and calmed her down. After that incident, she valued life
much more and lived it to the fullest.

Characters Theme
 Daddy  Religion
This is the underlying theme of this short story. Religion
 Understanding was so important on the plantation that the narrator's
 Good relationship with his father served as a deacon in the church. Religious zeal, in
daughter the form of hellfire preaching, is also a source of anxiety
for the narrator/protagonist in this short story.
 1st person narrator  Love and Family relationships
 Imaginative The father-daughter bond is obvious. When the
 Bold narrator/protagonist became concerned about the end of
the world, she turned to her father for advice. In turn, his
 Naïve reaction to her childish fears emphasizes the two's easy
 Rena relationship. Daddy's concern in covering his daughter
 Naïve after her frantic dash through the turnrow demonstrates
his love for his child.