A Story a Day #30: Graham Greene

March 12th, 2020

"The End of the Party"

Graham Greene

Two young brothers wake up and remember that it is the day of a party. One, Peter, talks about going to the party, but the other, Francis, dreads going. There are some vague allusions to something bad happening at a previous party. Though he tries to pretend he is sick, both Francis and Peter end up going to the party. While at the party, the host suggests they play hide and seek. Francis objects heartily because it seems he is afraid of the dark. While hiding, his brother finds him and hides with him to try and help him be less fearful. When the lights are turned back on, Francis is dead.

This story is odd because not very much is revealed. While I understand the importance of not telling the reader anything, there is fine line between enough and too little. I felt that this story had too many questions still unanswered by the end. What happened at the previous party that made Francis so afraid? Why did they pressure him to go? Why couldn't he tell his brother about why he didn't want to go? And most importantly, how and why did he die at the end?

There is an overwhelming sense of foreboding in this story so it doesn't come as a complete surprise that something bad will happen at the end. However, just having the boy die seems a bit extreme and out of left field.