The fact that this story mirrors a similar event in author John Gardner’s childhood lends credibility to the feelings and emotions portrayed. When a twelve-year-old boy kills his seven-year-old brother in a horrific farm accident, he and his family are devastated. His father falls apart, womanizing and disappearing for days at a time, while his mother and five-year-old sister grieve privately, putting their faith in God. The boy, knowing the accident was preventable, relives it every day and even gets to the point of considering suicide. Themes: grief, religion, community, guilt, art (in this case music) as a redemptive force.
The abrupt, seemingly incomplete conclusion can be interpreted in two ways: 1) Yegudkin’s humiliating response to Jack’s question: You think I’ll ever play like that?, inspires him to rise out of his misery and prove the teacher wrong; or 2) Jack suddenly appreciates that you don’t have to be a world class virtuoso to experience the benefits of music’s redemptive force.
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