The Crucial Moment by Charles Egbert Craddock

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About this eBook

Author Craddock, Charles Egbert, 1850-1922
Title The Crucial Moment
1911
Note Reading ease score: 63.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Credits Produced by David Widger
Summary "The Crucial Moment" by Charles Egbert Craddock is a dramatic novella written in the early 20th century. The story unfolds in the context of a rural Southern community threatened by rising waters from the Mississippi River, exploring themes of conflict, vengeance, and the weight of a single fateful moment. The narrative follows the character Walter Hoxer, a levee contractor whose life spirals into chaos after an explosive confrontation with a wealthy landowner, Major Jeffrey. The plot centers on Hoxer, who seeks to defend his reputation and integrity after Major Jeffrey publicly accuses him of cutting corners in his levee construction. Tensions escalate into a violent encounter where Hoxer, feeling cornered, is compelled to shoot Jeffrey in self-defense. Following this fateful moment, Hoxer becomes a fugitive, evading the law while grappling with the moral implications of his actions. The story culminates in a desperate escape that ultimately leads to Hoxer's tragic demise in the river, leaving behind his loyal dog, whose devotion symbolically highlights Hoxer's lost humanity in the face of irrevocable choices. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Short stories
Subject Mississippi River -- Fiction
Category Text
EBook-No. 23557
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Feb 24, 2021
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
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