Loss Of Innocence In Jon Loomis 'Deer Hit'

“Deer Hit” by Jon Loomis is about a young man’s experience while driving home while intoxicated in the early hours of the morning. Due to his inebriation, he does not see a group of deer on the road until it is too late; therefore, he hits one deer and drives his car into a ditch. Once the young man realizes that the deer is nearly dead, he reacts by bringing it home with him and telling his father what has happened. His father reacts coldly and kills the injured deer, and the boy returns the deer’s corpse to the woods. The poem is about more than a simple, daunting mistake; it depicts a loss of innocence and attempt for salvation, as well as an apathetic relationship between a father and son while simultaneously projecting empathy onto the reader by using second person pronouns, metaphor, and details. Making the mistake of driving home drunk marks the loss of innocence for the young man, which is evident through the parallel of the deer’s life and boy’s. Prior to disposing of the deer’s body, the boy feels as though his innocence has potential for salvation, which is why he welcomes the deer into his car in the first place. However, this all changes completely after his father kills the deer. A simile is then used to compare …show more content…
All people have made mistakes in their lifetime regardless of age or background. Furthermore, many people can relate to making mistakes due to alcohol or even adolescence. By immediately beginning the poem with “you’re seventeen and tunnel vision drunk” (line 1), the author creates a sense of nostalgia for the reader and increases the reader’s susceptibility of feeling apologetic to the young man. Therefore, when the deer bites the boy (line 29) and reads about the hostility of his father (lines 41-42), the reader is less likely to blame him for driving drunk and more likely to sympathize with his