Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.
I want to continue with what I started last week. I want to redo one of my oldest posts. I talked about a “A Tough Tussle” by Ambrose Bierce all the way back in the first months of RHRML. Ummm…my review, if you can even call it that, sucks. If I had to grade said post I would give it an F- because it’s so bad. Part of me wants to delete it and pretend I never wrote it, but I won’t do that. Reading Has Ruined My Life began as a way for me to develop and hone my writing skills post college. So to me, keeping a horrible, terrible, disgusting post up is necessary. It is a reminder for me to keep working on my writing ability. It’s a reminder that I’m not going to hit it out of the park every single time.
With all that said, I want to rectify my horrible attempt at reviewing “A Tough Tussle.” Today I will be re-reviewing this short story and actually reviewing it. I won’t be making fun of the main character’s name and misspelling it a different way every time I write it. I will discuss the plot and the meaning behind the words. Like I said, an actual review this time around.
So let’s crack in. As always, a spoiler alert is in order. I will be spoiling the entirety of this short story. This is your one and only warning. Synopsis time now!
This story follows Brainerd Byring who is a Lieutenant in the Union army during the American Civil War. He is extremely young and inexperienced, and gained his position through the death of his superiors and because he’s smart. He’s not the right person for the job, but he’s the best the army’s got at the moment.
Not much occurs in this story. Brainerd Byring is sent out to be the night watchman one evening. He picks a bad spot to keep watch at. You see, not far off in the shadows, is a corpse. This freaks Brainerd out. He is so uncomfortable with staying near a dead body despite being surrounded by death at all times. His initial reaction is to move to a different spot and perform his duties there. Except he can’t as the spot he’s currently at is where his company was told he would be stationed.
So he has a valid reason as to why he can’t move from his spot. Nonetheless, he’s creeped out. I don’t really blame him. Then a fight breaks out. Shots are heard in the distance, and Brainerd joins the fray. Except him joining the fray means he thinks the corpse he’s been staring at is actually not a corpse at all and is indeed a living, breathing enemy. So Brainerd shoots. He shoots five rounds into his enemy. The story ends with the death of Brainerd, killed by a sword and found the following morning where it’s discovered the enemy was indeed a corpse and that Brainerd fell on his own weapon.
Ambrose Bierce did a wonderful job with the atmosphere of this short story. The version I read only filled five pages. There’s not much time to do a lot of anything, yet this story is filled with foggy woods and the unsettling feeling that something most certainly stalks you in the night. Atmosphere is key in Gothic literature, and Ambrose Bierce understood that. For as short as this story is, the author painted a vivid picture and filled the pages with tense suspense.
Another part of this story that I love so much is the subtle foreshadowing right at the start. I’ve told you this story ends in death, and I’ve also told you I’m going to spoil everything about this read so if you don’t want to be spoiled even more than you already have then this is your last chance to leave. You see, Brainerd Byring loosens his belt which holds his sword at the start of the story. Cut to the end when it’s revealed Brainerd died from a stab wound. But this wound wasn’t from the result of a fight. Nay, nay. He stumbled and fell on his own sword. I know I did not pick up on this foreshadowing when I first read this story. I'm going to sound so mean saying this, but I'm in love with the idea that Brainerd's own fear killed him. It’s the little things that make this story good.
If I’m being honest, “A Tough Tussle” is just an okay read to me. It’s quick to finish, there’s nothing groundbreaking in it, the main character isn’t a character I got attached to; this story is just fine. But I like this story because of its impeccable atmosphere and the foreshadowing. It’s what makes this story good. Those aspects truly make the story for me. They amplify the main character’s fear, and that’s what this story is about: fear.
I don’t have much more to say about “A Tough Tussle.” I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, this read is simply fine. I think it is certainly worth a read if you’re a fan of Gothic lit like I am. It’s a quick read, which is a plus in my book, and there are aspects I greatly appreciate. “A Tough Tussle” does leave me wanting a little more though.
With that I shall bid you all adieu. I will see you all again next week with the last post of 2024. Damn, this year went by fast. If you can’t wait a week to hear from me then you can always check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. Join me and two of my friends as we talk awesome women of history, Disney, haunted houses, Scooby-Doo, and so much more. I promise you there is bound to be something that strikes your fancy.
Until then, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.
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