.......The main theme of the story is Dave's attempt to bolster his downtrodden ego and gain the respect of others. At seventeen, Dave believes he is a man and deserves to be treated like one. But the people in his community regard him as a boy. Owning a gun and mastering its operation will prove to himself and to others that he is indeed a man, he thinks. After he buys the gun and accidentally kills the mule, the people who gather at the scene—including his own parents—humiliate him. Nevertheless, he continues to believe in himself, practices shooting the gun to prove he can master it, and then runs away to "somewhere where he could be a man."
Achieving Maturity