Emerald Light

Perhaps this is just because he is the character that is at the center of the story, but I still admire the character of Billy French in “The Emerald Light in the Air”. He seems to me like such a tragic character. The story takes on a somber tone as he has clearly gone through his share of hardships in his life.

First, I noticed that he was going to dispose of his old stuff at the dump, namely his ex-wife’s paintings and a box of his boyhood comics. Normally, letting go in this sense creates a somber tone, as he is symbolically letting go of someone that was still “the love of his life” and his childhood. It does create some sense of pity for our protagonist.

Billy, however, does not make it to the dump. He slides down and crashes through some branches, trees and thicket. He makes his car out and slowly drives to a house in the mountains where a family’s mother is dying of cancer. This compounds on the somber tone of the story. The family thinks that Billy is a doctor, and he just goes along with it and provides pills that will help the woman die more comfortably. I read this as Billy just trying to do the right thing while his life is not going the greatest. He then calls 911 to report the dying lady. This was a part where I was somewhat confused. I could not figure out why he reported the dying lady.

All throughout this, Billy seems to be wrestling with a suicide. He even expresses thought of himself committing suicide with his gun in his barn. I think Billy is a greatly written character. In this short story, the author adds so much depth into his character and makes me feel along with him.