There are many things to be taken into account in this story such as the constant talk about the heat, the way James jumps back and forth between the past and present, and how nothing seems to tie together. The main question could easily be how had Atkinson and James forseen each others future, but that falls under another set of questions. Is this all the influence of some supernatural force? Is the boy that disrupts James' reverie in front of Atkinsons shop a key factor in this and why did he only show up once in the story? Is the ending of the story implied from the very beginning of the story that both protagonists meet their fate by each others …show more content…
The one line that continues to haunt me is not James' comment about how he'll be gone in less than an hour but how the heat is enough to send a man mad. Is it possible that this heat caused the both of them to go mad and make decisions they normally wouldn't or cause Atkinson to lose his sanity and kill James. There are many doors that have been opened by Willian Fryer Harvey making readers subscepitble to the possiblity of the supernatural playing a hand in this but I believe that the constant implication of Atkinsons impending murder of James is worth believing. His constant sharpening of his tools, him asking James to spend the night with him for safety depsite the circumstance suggesting that he do otherwise, the picture james drew of Atkinson in a courtroom clearly charged for murder. It is only an educated guess but I have a strong feeling —disregarding the supernatural theories— that Chas.Atkinson murdered James Clarence