The Half-Skinned Steer by E. Annie Proulx
"The Half-Skinned Steer" is a short story by E. Annie Proulx that explores themes of memory, loss, and the complexities of familial relationships. The narrative follows Mero, an eighty-three-year-old man who embarks on a journey from Massachusetts back to his childhood home in rural Wyoming after learning of his brother's death. This journey serves as a catalyst for reflection, prompting Mero to confront his past, including his experiences growing up on an impoverished ranch and the contrasting life choices made by him and his brother, Rollo.
The story employs a third-person perspective with frequent flashbacks, weaving a rich tapestry of Mero's memories and experiences, including a peculiar tale about a character named Tin Head and a half-skinned steer. These elements reveal Mero's internal struggles and emotional conflicts as he navigates his memories during a challenging drive across the country. Ultimately, Mero's return to Wyoming is marked by confusion and disorientation, culminating in a poignant and reflective conclusion as he faces both the physical and metaphorical implications of his journey. This layered narrative invites readers to contemplate the significance of home and memory in shaping one's identity.
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The Half-Skinned Steer by E. Annie Proulx
First published: 1997
Type of plot: Domestic realism, regional, frame story
Time of work: The 1990's
Locale: Rural Wyoming
Principal Characters:
Mero , an elderly man, who sets out for WyomingRollo , his brother, whose death prompts his journeyTin Head , character in a story that Mero remembers
The Story
"The Half-Skinned Steer" is told in the third person with frequent flashbacks that reveal various memories of Mero. The flashbacks function as a story-within-a-story, with the girlfriend of Mero's father serving as the narrative voice of those portions of the larger story. The action is both internal and external, either occurring on or resulting from Mero's journey to Wyoming to witness the burial of his brother.
Mero and Rollo were raised on an impoverished ranch in rural Wyoming. Mero left the ranch to go to war, then eventually permanently left his place of origin, settling in Massachusetts and living a lifestyle quite different from that of his brother, who continued to ranch with his son and family.
The story is set in motion when the eighty-three-year-old Mero receives a phone call and learns of his brother's death. He begins an adventurous drive across country during which he rarely eats, wrecks his Cadillac, and buys another one. The journey provides an opportunity for internal action that reveals the subtle conflicts within Mero. He reminisces about his youthful interactions with his father and brother on the ranch. He also recalls a particular story he was told about Tin Head, who had the misfortune of having a galvanized plate sewn into his head. While butchering a steer, Tin Head pauses halfway into the job to eat half of his dinner before taking a nap. When he awakes, the steer is gone. Eventually Tin Head finds the half-skinned steer alive and vindictively staring at his would-be butcher.
In the process of remembering his younger days, as well as the saga of Tin Head and the steer, Mero arrives in the Wyoming countryside near his boyhood home. He drives the last miles through snow. Not having been to the old place in sixty years and arriving at night, he cannot remember the right road. His unfamiliar car becomes stuck in the snow, and Mero becomes disoriented. Confused, hungry, and disappointed in his failure, he finds himself in a serious predicament in the middle of nowhere. He finally decides to try to walk some ten miles to a ranch he believes he can find and then wait until morning to complete his odyssey. As he walks in the snow, a steer follows him. Mero dies in the snow under the angry glare of the half-skinned steer's red eye.