The Trial of an Ox for Killing a Man Literary Elements

Chap book

London, quadruped court

The story is narrated through a third person, omniscient narrator

The tone of the narrator is rather matter-of-factly and descriptive. The mood of the story is affected through the heart wrenching descriptions by some of the animals.

The protagonist of the story is the ox accused of murder, the antagonist is the deceased drover, as a symbol for humanity

The judge is asked to cast a verdict on the ox, while the crime committed was fueled by pained insanity.

The mild verdict can be considered the climax, as the story and background of the ox have moved the judge and the audience.

The initial refusal of the dogs as witnesses foreshadows the judges mild-mannered and just nature he shows in the end.

The story understates the effect of murder by painting a scenery in which the drover deserved to die. The human part of the story is not considered.

The story in itself is an allusion to the judiciary system. The narrator shows clear positive opinions about the concept of justice in this system.

The story uses the characters of individual animals to symbolize certain idealized characteristics. For example, the story portrays the lion as the wise judge or the dogs as thieving creatures. It is usual for fables like this to use animals as stand-ins for human character traits.

It could be considered paradox that those creatures that brought the ox before court have no say in the matter. If one translates the different characters to the human realm, this would mean that the actual accusers had no opportunity to state their case.

The story clearly parallels a human trial.

The bee describes individual injuries the ox had to endure to describe his entire suffering. The individual hits with a nailed stick are used to describe his deranged mental state.

As a fable, the story personifies a whole array of animals and anthropomorphizes them.