Well, let me tell you about this “Bargain” story, the ending and all. It’s a real head-scratcher, you know? Confusin’ as a goat on a tin roof.
So, what’s this “Bargain” all about? From what I gather, it’s about this fella named Baumer and another fella named Slade. Seems like they got some beef, somethin’ ain’t right between ’em. Maybe Slade done Baumer wrong, or maybe it’s the other way around. Folks in stories always got problems, ain’t they?
Now, Baumer, he hires Slade for some work, somethin’ about haulin’ freight. That’s work for strong backs, lemme tell ya. But it’s wintertime, cold as a witch’s teat. And wouldn’t ya know it, Slade, he up and dies. Freezes to death, they say. Just like that, gone. Life’s a fragile thing, like a robin’s egg.
And then there’s Al, another fella in the story. He’s unloadin’ a barrel, mindin’ his own business, when he finds Slade. Probably scared him half to death, poor fella. Findin’ a frozen body ain’t no picnic.
But here’s the thing about the endin’. It ain’t clear-cut, not like choppin’ wood. Baumer, he says somethin’ like, “Is good to know.” Now what in tarnation does that mean? That’s what folks are tryin’ to figure out.
- Some folks think Baumer, he planned it all along. Maybe he hired Slade knowin’ he’d freeze to death. That’s cold, real cold, if you ask me. Revenge, maybe? Folks do crazy things for revenge.
- Others, they ain’t so sure. Maybe it was just an accident, a terrible twist of fate. Winter’s a harsh mistress, and death comes for us all, sooner or later. Maybe Baumer’s just sayin’ it’s good to know what happened, to have some closure.
The story, it leaves you with more questions than answers. Like, was Baumer right in what he done? Was it justice, or just plain mean? And what about Al? How’s he gonna sleep at night after seein’ somethin’ like that?
And this whole “Is good to know” thing. Maybe it means Baumer feels like justice has been served. Maybe he’s relieved, or maybe he’s just tryin’ to convince himself he done the right thing. Hard to say with these quiet types, they don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves, like some folks I know. Keeps their feelin’s bottled up like preserves.
There’s talk of foreshadowin’ too. Writers, they like to leave little clues, like breadcrumbs, for folks to find. Maybe there was hints all along that somethin’ bad was gonna happen to Slade. But I ain’t no fancy book reader, I just tell it like I see it.
And then there’s this talk about Thailand? Someone mumblin’ about being supposed to be in Thailand? Don’t rightly see what that has to do with Baumer and Slade. Maybe it’s from another story altogether. Confusin’, I tell ya, like a chicken with its head cut off.
So, the “Bargain” endin’? It’s open to interpretation, like a cloud in the sky. You can see what you wanna see. Maybe Baumer’s a villain, maybe he’s a victim. Maybe it’s about revenge, maybe it’s about justice. Maybe it’s just a story, and we’re all just tryin’ to make sense of it. Life’s like that too, ain’t it? A whole lotta loose ends.
Anyways, that’s how I see it. Not fancy, but it’s the truth, as far as I can tell. This story, it sticks with ya, like molasses to a spoon. Makes ya think about right and wrong, and how we treat each other. And that’s somethin’ to chew on, ain’t it?
Tags: [The Bargain, A.B. Guthrie, ending explained, Baumer, Slade, Al, justice, revenge, interpretation, foreshadowing, death, winter]
