Lardner lets the reader know Whitey is naive and somewhat gullible when Whitey describes the time Jim played a cruel joke on him. Once, Jim impersonated a woman stating her husband had died and she needed someone to come shave him. This is not only an example of foreshadowing, but is also very ironic. This same type of prank ends up getting Jim killed at the end of the story. It also makes the reader wonder if Whitey had to give him a shave after he died.

The reader finds out Jim is not only cruel to Whitey but to his wife, Paul, and Julie as well. He is obviously a pathetic husband and father to his children. He gets pleasure from his own family's pain. Instead of giving his wife money to support the children, he gets drunk every night. He also gets pleasure by exploiting other people's disabilities, like Paul's mental problem. Jim makes fun of Paul and strives to humiliate him in front of others.

When Whitey describes the murder of Jim, it is almost a relief to the reader. After all of the negative stories Whitey tells about Jim, the reader enjoys hearing about how the pranks Jim played on others come back to haunt him. Every in Carterville were probably excited to hear the news of his death as well. The reader can imagine the events that occurred after his death. Maybe Hod will be happier because he is the funny man in the barbershop. Maybe Doc S

Some common words found in the essay are:
Paul Julie, Lardner's Haircut, Jim Jim, Julie Paul, Maybe Hod, Doc Stairs, Kendall Jim's, Analysis Haircut, whitey describes, reader jim, reader imagine, whitey naive, mental abuse, physical abuse, support children, jim played, jim cruel,
Approximate Word count = 615
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)