Analysis: What Would You Do If You Got Caught In An Animal Trap

What would you do if You got caught in an animal trap in the freezing cold with snow up to your knees? What would your grandson do? People study about the mood and setting of a story, because it's a different way to look at the story. I chose to write about the mood and setting of the story because in The Trap by John Smelcer he uses the changing Alaskan wilderness setting and Albert being caught in a trap alters the mood from calm to suspenseful.
In the beginning of the story the mood was calm because. The setting is described as a beautiful sight when Albert was out setting traps.This quote states Alberts view of the beautiful landscape and nature surrounding him. ” The sky was dark blue and contrasted against the blanketed white of the earth. It was a beautiful place, lovely and deadly all at the same time, a land of great power” (Smelcer 8). I think this makes the mood calm or relaxing because the landscape that the narrator was describing and how stunning it was definitely eased the mood.

“A moment he had assigned to the suffering of others but never to himself.” (Smelcer 16). This quote shows when Albert almost feels guilt for what he has done to animals in the past and what he had gone through. He is now experiencing that suffering of being trapped in the cold. This quote shows the struggle Albert is facing trying to get out of the trap “He tried pushing down on each side with all his weight on his gloved hands, feeling the strain through his arms and shoulders, but the trap did not open. Not even a little.” (Smelcer 37). The mood is now grim or despairing due to Albert not being able to remove his foot from the