Plot SummaryThe narrator claims that there??™s a man in the habit of hitting him in the head with an umbrella, and been hitting him for 5 years. He describes a man who wears a grey suit, is average in appearance, and has a common face. The narrator does not know his name. One day the narrator is reading a newspaper in Palermo Park, when suddenly this man begins to hit him on the head with an umbrella.
At first the narrator thought he was crazy, but as he continued to hit him the narrator punched him in the face. He stood back up and continued to hit him with the umbrella. The narrator tries to escape, beginning to run. The man with the umbrella follows him, while still hitting him. The narrator thinks about calling the police, but wonders who they would arrest in this bizarre situation. The narrator began to go home, taking the bus. The man with the umbrella followed him all the way home right to his door, still hitting him. Finally, the narrator decides to try and slam the door in his face, but it is read by the man, who stops the door.
This man has been hitting him for 5 years, without eating or sleeping. The only activity he does is hit the narrator. The narrator then wonders if the only way to stop him is to shoot him, but is confused as to who it would be better to kill, the man or himself. As a result of 5 years of hits on the head by an umbrella, he realizes he cannot live without these hits.
He experiences anxiety from the possibility that at any time the man will leave and he will become crazy from not getting those hits on the head that he has been used to. Plot GraphIntroduction -protagonist describes the antagonist (unknown name, average in appearance, grey suit, has a common face)-protagonist explains he was in Palermo Park reading the newspaperTrigger-the man in the grey suit hits the protagonist on the head with an umbrellaRising Action -protagonist is surprised, and in return punches the man in the face-the man continues to hit in the head with the umbrella, the protagonist tries to get away from him and return homeClimax-at his home, the protagonist tries to slam the door in his face, but the man predicted it, and stops the doorFalling Action -protagonist states that this man has not slept or ate anything, his only activity is hitting on the head with an umbrella -these hits by the umbrella keep him form sleepingConclusion-after 5 years, the protagonist realizes that he cannot live without these hits on the head and cannot sleep without them-he worries that one day this man will leave him and he won??™t feel the hits on the head anymoreElementsConflict (external) ??“ man vs. man (protagonist vs. antagonist)-the protagonist struggles to deal with the antagonist who is hitting him on the head with an umbrella Protagonist-(dynamic character) he changes from being annoyed by the antagonist to accepting him and becoming tolerant to the hits on the headAntagonist-(static character) he does not change throughout the whole story and his only role is hitting the protagonist on the headSetting -the time of the story is possibly during the day-the places the story takes place are Palermo Park, and Santa Fe AvenueCharacterization -(indirect) we learn about the protagonist through his thoughts and actionsMood– the mood of the story is funny because the situation in the story is comicalTone-the tone of the story is a little melancholic because the main character is helplessly annoyedTheme-the theme of the story is that there are some things in life we cannot change and we must deal withPoint of View ??“ the perspective the story is told in is 1st Person Participant because the narrator is the main character and refers to himself as ??? I??? and ??? me???
