The Scream Short Story

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Recommended: Use of irony in Shakespeare tragedy

Ashley Mitchell
Professor Perniciaro
LIT 2000
3 February 2014
Summary of H. Briscoe’s “The Scream”
In H. Briscoe’s “The Scream,” a woman and her two daughters, Anna and Mary, are on vacation in the country of Spain. The story seems to take place fairly recently in this day and age. Throughout the account, we are taken on a journey, sometimes through Anna’s eyes, other times through the perspective of Mary’s and the mothers, through an amusement park on a blistering, sweaty day. But there is a twist at the end, and Mary is to blame.
“The Scream” opens with the narrator providing a detailed account of the horrifically hot day in Spain, describing the heat as theoretical “missiles” and “rippling waves” (1). Anna, the eldest sister, adds to the horrific heat by mentioning that everything in the theme park was “manufactured - [with] angular, flat surfaces, and shiny polished metal,” which only added to the harshness of the sunlight (1). Additionally, the three, in an attempt to escape the overbearing heat and crowds, would risk forcing their ways in front of others in the drink line as well as the lines of shows that were labeled as “unmissable” in their eyes (1).
Subsequently, the story kicks off with the mother proclaiming both Anna and Mary to carry a bag; Anna the second heaviest bag containing sunscreen and the camera, and Mary the smallest one, also referred to as a mini rucksack, which housed the money, keys, and other important items. Additionally, their mother carried a large food bag which is described as being filled to the brim.
The three were seated on a bench next to a manmade lake when the mother began to walk away, resulting in Mary taking the mothers hand, and leaving Anna with no choice but to follow them to the ma...

... middle of paper ...

...k down to see the rucksack slung over her sister’s shoulder. Anna stood in disbelief as Mary, wide-eyed and innocent looking, apologized for changing her mind about going on the rollercoaster, saying "It was just too scary after all" (11). Anna could no longer take the scorching heat and her sisters grinning face, and fell to the ground in a crashing fall.
While the story originally focuses on the scenery and climate of the theme park, the focus shifts to that of the rollercoaster “The Scream!” rather quickly, as well as the manipulation that comes from Mary, and the mother, towards Anna. The twist at the end is relatively unexpected and pieces together the manipulations that Mary has been planning to use on Anna throughout the story.

Work Cited
Briscoe, H. "Short Stories: The Scream by H. Briscoe." Eastoftheweb.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.

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