S E White

A Murder of Crows: an Allegory S E White

Crows caw to awaken the village of Slippery Slope to the first official thaw of the new year, and as the pale snow melts, it reveals the body of a little girl who has been missing for three months. Not even a mile down the road, her paisley print scarf flutters around the neck of Old Mayor Crickshaw's scarecrow. Through the haunting voice of a communal narrator, the story of Slippery Slope is uncovered. Children are not allowed to play outside until they reach a certain age. Mysterious deaths have been occurring in the village for over fifty years. Most villagers seem unaffected by the deaths. A black congregation of crows pervades the story in the same way that words flock and squawk on the page and in our imaginations. It is important to note that a group of crows is also known as a "murder of crows," an image which is felt on many levels throughout the narrative. The story of Slippery Slope is more of a mystery than a murder mystery, exploring the consequences of mob truth and how people will cling desperately to a constructed ideal rather than stare a horrible truth in the face.