Summary Of The Magic Show By Tim O Brien

The passage, “The Magic Show” by Tim O'brien, is all about how a writer can use all the imagination they want. It starts off with an explanation of O’brien’s fascination with magic when he was a child. He states that he loved that he could make anything he wanted happen. Everything was because of his imagination, and the audience did not know how the magic happened, but it amazed them. The audience’s excitement and eagerness is what fueled O’brien’s passion. As O’brien got older, he found a new form of magic that enjoyed, writing. He explains that when an author wants something to happen, they can make it happen. It does not matter how far from reality it might be, the writer can use all the imagination they want. A writer’s creativity is

While on his way to a place that is not mentioned, the carriage driver, Johann, stops when the horses get spooked. The man in the carriage looks out to see a fork in the road. One way looks more used while the other is dark and looks less traveled on. The character tells Johann that he wants to go down the dark road, but every time he brings it up, Johann crosses himself and get very frantic. When Johann tries to explain why no one goes down that road, he can not help but become frightened by his own words and return to his native language. This provokes the main character’s interest in the dark and eerie road. After a while of arguing with Johann, they walk about twenty feet forward. When asked why Johann did that, he says, “Buried him-him what killed themselves” (Behrens 395). The main character then remembers a custom where people that commit suicide, are buried at crossroads. While trying to calm the horses, Johann notices dark clouds signalling snow. The main character asks what the dark road leads to and again, Johann crosses himself before he give the answer. Johann explains that there is a town that is unholy. In this town, many people had died, buried, then rose from their graves and found with blood all around their mouths. Johann suddenly tells the character to get back into the carriage so they can travel the safe way, but the main character gets angered by this, refuses to get in, and starts walking down the eerie path. While on the bath alone, many wolves are heard, and it starts to snow. With the weather coming and going, the man finds a large tomb within a cemetery that he uses as protection against the strong winds. The tomb reads, “The dead travel fast” (Behrens 399). Becoming frightened and not quite understanding what the tomb meant, the man now wishes he would have taken Johann’s advice. A hale