The children in the story are the main characters. Paul who is a 12 year old boy and the brother of Miranda loves hunting. He is very serious about his hunting skill and is protrayed as the one in charge of the hunting expedition. He tends to be the teacher and the caretaker of Miranda in the story. Miranda is a 9 year old girl and considered by others as a tomboy. She is engrossed in everything that is around her and not especially interested in hunting but enjoys the sport of shooting the gun and being with her brother. They are both considered round characters. The

The Dove and the ring that are found in the cemetery are symbols that represent life (dove) and neverending love (ring). When Miranda recalled this moment 20 years later she first remembered the feeling of sadness and then envisioned her brother at age 12 holding the Dove in his hand.

This story is about life and death and the feelings that we experience when we remember the sadness. It is the good moments that we try to focus on to help us hide the pain. Katherine Porter used her own life to influence this story. She lost her Grandmother and mother at an early age and her experience with death was revealed in Miranda.

The point of view used was dramatic narration and in using this method the reader is given descriptive words that provide the reader with the feelings to the actions of both characters. As a reader the characters become real in the story and you experience the human senses and interpret what the writer wants you to experience.

The setting in the secluded woods has two purposes; they are full of life from the beginning to the end. The cycle of life is seen in the trees, flowers, and the animals. The cemetery is a reminder of the cycle, that death is part of life. The children are freely playing and experiencing life to the fullest in the woods only to be intrigued in the empty grave. The graves are significant in their meaning. Once this grave held meaning to someone, a significant monument of a former life. From these empty graves came two special gifts to the children. The dove a symbol of life and the ring a symbol of never ending love. The description of the engravings on the ring gave an imagery of love in purest and si

Some common words found in the essay are:
Miranda Paul, Anne Porter, Katherine Porter, life death, , kill rabbit, family cemetery, killing innocent, reality life, shame guilt, baby rabbits, empty graves,
Approximate Word count = 1126
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)