Reactions to Murder in The Surrounded

A very striking scene in the final few pages of the novel, The Surrounded, was the death of Sheriff Quigley. This scene contrasts greatly with the deaths of Louis and the warden, both of whom were killed quickly, as if their deaths were barely noticed. Louis’s death is glimpsed over, only describing the shot being heard before his body falls to the ground. The warden is also killed in a quiet, swift motion with a hatchet. The reaction that Archilde has is one of shock and amazement. He is confused as to how his mother could have acted so quietly, but immediately thinks of where to bury the bodies to keep from being seen by others. Archilde, after witnessing such a terrible event, acts reasonably, trying to think of ways to cover their tracks to not be accused of murder. Archilde must also console his mother, who is mourning the loss of her son. This contrasts with his reaction of Elise killing Sheriff Quigley. He notices that Elise is acting differently, as if she is about to do something. He watches her move towards the sheriff and kill him with three shots to the chest. Unlike the murder of the warden, Elise has planned out the sheriff’s death, vowing to kill him if he ever tried to take Archilde away from her. She is so determined, that after firing the first three shots, Archilde has to stop her “from emptying the magazine” into Sheriff Quigley (295). Afterwards, neither Archilde nor Elise act rationally, but simply act as though nothing has happened. They continue to discuss the plans of running away together, barely mentioning that the sheriff is now dead. During their conversation, Archilde is described as trembling but Elise is “unshaken” and speaking calmly.