Sympathy Vs. Empathy In The Rattler

Sympathy and Empathy are words that are similar but very different in various aspects. Both involve feelings and feeling for something or someone and often can be used incorrectly. These feelings are very commonly felt by readers after reading narratives featuring relatable characters and some poignant subjects. The Rattler is a short story about two different sides, or points of view. The two main subjects of the story are the unnamed man, and the snake who happen to cross paths in a desert and things don’t quite end well for one of the two. In the passage, The Rattler, the writer uses explicit details and descriptions and scenery, in a way, to leave the reader both empathetic for the man and sympathetic for the snake. The writer uses explicit details to leave the reader empathetic for the man. Shortly after the man encounters the snake, it is revealed that he has never killed an animal and finds “no satisfaction in taking life”. This is very important to note as most humans haven’t done so or find satisfaction in taking life. This makes the man very relatable right away. It is stated so plainly so the reader understands immediately. This is just one example of the many explicit details the

It is directly stated that the setting of the passage is a desert area. Of course, the desert is the natural habitat of a rattlesnake. It is, again, very possible that the snake had no intention of actually going to the ranch area past the desert, but was simply wandering around in its own habitat. It really makes one think about how the snake could’ve lived and how the man wouldn’t have had to kill an animal if they hadn’t crossed paths. The man had “found the first pleasant moment for a walk after long blazing hours.” This “pleasant moment” is tainted by him killing the snake, as it was noted that the found no pleasure or satisfaction in taking the life of