"Death in the Woods" is presented as a first-person narrative by an unreliable narrator, who tells the story of an old woman, Mrs. Grimes. Mrs. Grimes lives on the edge of society and survives by selling eggs and using the proceeds to buy food for herself, her small family and the animals in her care. Her husband is considered to be a horse thief, and the couple is looked down on by others.Mrs. Grimes' personal history, according to the narrator, is that she was abandoned by her mother and grew up as an indentured servant. It is suggested that there she received inappropriate attentions from her German master. The master's wife was suspicious and perhaps cruel toward her. Mrs. Grimes agrees to marry Jake Grimes, who "helps" her escape her German master and his wife.Mrs. Grimes and Jake Grime have a son and a daughter, but the daughter died in childhood. The narrator tells us that their son grows up to be like his father. Both of them verbally abused Mrs. Grimes and treat her in a manner similar to the way the German and his wife had treated her. She does not know life could be any different as this is all she ever experienced, according to the narrator. Her main concern in life is taking care of, and feeding the animals and people in her care. Her duty, she feels, is to feed animal life.On the last day of her life, Mrs. Grimes walks into town to trade some eggs and buy some meager supplies. Her dogs follow her into town. According to the narrator, the butcher was unusually friendly and compassionate on this visit (because of the snowy, cold weather), giving her some extra liver and speaking to her kindly. She begins her walk home late in the day.On her way home, she leaves the road and walks through the woods, probably a short cut. On this shortcut she reaches a clearing where she sits down to rest. While sitting down, she dies. The dogs, that had been following her, run around her in circles, then rip the pack away from her and devour the food inside.The body is discovered by a hunter, who goes into town and tells everyone about the body in the woods. A group of men and some boys, including the narrator, walk into the woods to examine the body and bring it back.When the narrator and his brother return home, the older brother tells the story. Our narrator set down his version of the story many years later, because he felt that his brother had not been able to properly and efficiently explain the events.There are other stories that are re-telling of events or stories told by unreliable narrators- meaning they do not necessary give readers accurate, cold-hard facts. The stories are from their points-of-view, or how they interpret the events or happenings. It is their "working out" of their past experiences."Death in the Woods" takes place in a Midwestern town, likely based on Anderson's childhood home of Clyde, Ohio. In the 1890s, Clyde was a town of a few

Setting Tom Whiteheads livery barn Midwestern town, likely based on Anderson's childhood home of Clyde, Ohio

The Narrator- As a boy, he joined the group that went to the woods to see the old womans body. Many years later, the narrator suddenly remembers the event and begins to narrate the story of the old womans life and death. Though he finds it difficult to articulate why, he feels compelled to retell this childhood tale. In the intervening years, the narrator has had several experiences that echo certain incidents in the old womans life. Read an in-depth analysis of The Narrator. The Old Woman (Mrs. Grimes)- An old, sickly woman who lived on a farm near the narrators childhood town. The old woman had a history of poor treatment. As a young orphan, she was legally bound to a German couple who abused her, and as an adult she lived in poverty on a small, remote farm with a husband and son who treated her just as poorly. The old woman bore her trials with a silent stoicism before dying in the woods in the company of a pack of dogs. Read an in-depth analysis of The Old Woman (Mrs. Grimes). Jake Grimes- The old womans husband. A rough, brutal man, Jake Grimes was a mean drunk who was distrusted and disliked in town. He was rumored to be a horse thief, but had never been caught. Like his wife, Jake Grimes spoke very little in the story, although his silence suggested menace rather than forbearance. The Grimess Son- The old woman and Jake Grimess twenty-one-year-old son. Unnamed in the story, the Grimess son inherited his fathers violent, brutish ways. The Grimess Daughter- The old woman and Jake Grimess daughter, who died before the storys events took place. The German and His Wife- A couple to whom the young Mrs. Grimes was bound as an indentured servant. On several occasions, the German attempted to sexually assault the young girl, but he was always foiled by the wifes return. The wife, in turn, suspected the girl of being involved with her husband and harassed her because of it. The Butcher- A man who took pity on the old woman on the day she died. The butcher gave her a liver and some dog bones for free. Angry at the husband and son who mistreated her so blatantly, he instructed her to not give them any of the meat. The Hunter- A country fellow who discovered the woman in the woods a day or two after she died. Too frightened to look closely at the corpse, the hunter hurried into town and brought a group of menincluding the narrator and his brotherto see what he thought was the body of a beautiful young girl. The Narrators Brother- A newsboy who abandoned his paper route to go see the body in the woods. The Town Marshal- A large man with a Civil War injury who took charge of the party of men. Tom Whitehead- The owner of the livery barn where several townsmen (including the narrator) encountered Jake Grimes.