52 They dragged the old woman’s body out into the open clearing。The worn-out dress was quickly torn from her shoulders。When she was found a day or two later，the dress had been torn from her body clear to the hips，but the dogs had not touched her body。They had got the meat out of the grain bag，that was all。Her body was frozen stiff when it was found，and the shoulders were so narrow and the body so slight that in death it looked like the body of some charming young girl。
53 Such things happened in towns of the Middle West，on farms near town，when Iwas a boy。A hunter out after rabbits found the old woman’s body and did not touch it。Something，the beaten round path in the little snow-covered clearing，the silence of the place，the place where the dogs had worried the body trying to pull the grain bag away or tear it open—something startled the man and he hurried off to town。
54 I was in Main Street with one of my brothers who was town newsboyand who was taking the afternoon papers to the stores。It was almost night。
55 The hunter came into a grocery and told his story。Then he went to a hardware shop and into a drugstore。Men began to gather on the sidewalks。Then they started out along the road to the place in the woods。
56 My brother should have gone on about his business of distributingpapers buthe didn’t。Everyone was going to the woods。The undertaker went and the town marshal。Several men got on a dray and rode out to where the path left the road and went into the woods，but the horses weren’t very sharply shod and slid about on the slippery roads。They made no better time than those of us who walked。
57 The town marshal was a large man whose leg had been injured in the Civil War。He carried a heavy cane and limped rapidly along the road。My brother and I followed at his heels，and as we went other men and boys joined the crowd。
58 It had grown dark by the time we got to where the old woman had left the road but the moon had e out。The marshal was thinking there might have been a murder。He kept asking the hunter questions。The hunter went along with his gun across his shoulders，a dog following at his heels。It isn’t often a rabbit hunterhas a chance to be so conspicuous。He was taking full advantage of it，leading the procession with the town marshal。“I didn’t see any wounds。She was a beautiful young girl。Her face was buried in the snow。No，I didn’t know her。”As a matter of fact，the hunter had not looked closely at the body。He had been frightened。She might have been murdered and someone might spring out from behind a tree andmurder him。In the woods，in the late afternoon，when the trees are all bare and there is white snow on the ground，whenall is silent，something creepy steals over the mind and body。If something strange or uncanny has happened in the neighborhood all you think about is getting away from there as fast as you can。
undertaker：n。殯儀員
marshal：n。治安官
dray：n。馬車
uncanny：adj。離奇的
59 The crowd of men and boys had got to where the old woman had crossed the field and went，following the marshal and the hunter，up the slight incline and into the woods。
60 My brother and I were silent。He had his bundle of papers in a bag slung across his shoulder。When he got back to town he would have to go on distributing his papers before he went home to supper。If I went along，as he had no doubt already determined I should，we would both be late。Either mother or our older sister would have to warm our supper。
61 Well，we would have something to tell。A boy did not get such a chance very often。It was lucky we just happened to go into the grocery when the hunter camein。The hunter was a country fellow。Neither of us had ever seen him before。
62 Now the crowd of men and boys had got to the clearing。Darkness es quickly on such winter nights，but the full moon made everything clear。My brother andI stood near the tree beneath which the old woman had died。
63 She did not look old，lying there in that light，frozen and still。One of the men turned her over in the snow and I saw everything。My body trembled with some strange mystical feeling and so did my brother’s。It might have been the cold。
64 Neither of us had ever seen a woman’s body before。It may have been the snow，clinging to the frozen flesh，which made it look so white and lovely，so like marble。No woman had e with the party from townbut one of the men，he was thetown blacksmith，took off his overcoat and spread it over her。Then he gatheredher into his arms and started off to town，all the others following silently。Atthat time no one knew who she was。
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65 I had seen everything，had seen the oval in the snow，like a miniature race crack，where the dogs had run，had seen how the men were mystified after seeingthe white bare young-looking shoulders，had heard the whispered ments of the men。
66 The men were simply mystified。They took the body to the undertakers and when the blacksmith，the hunter，the marshal and several others had got inside theyclosed the door。If father had been there perhaps he could have got in，but we boys couldn’t。
67 I went with my brother to distribute the rest of his papers and when we got home it was my brother who told the story。
68 I kept silent and went to bed early。It may have been I was not satisfied with the way he told it。
評注：這個故事由“我”的哥哥講過一遍，然後“我”感到不滿意。所以這個故事可以看成是“我”對老婦人一生經曆的“重述”。
69 Later，in the town，I must have heard other fragments of the old woman’s story。She was recognized the next day and there was an investigation。
70 The husband and son were found somewhere and brought to town and there was an attempt to connect them with the woman’s death，but it did not work。They hadperfect enough alibis。
alibis：n。不在場證據71However，the town was against them。They had to get out。Where they went I never heard。
72 I remember only the picture there in the forest，the men seen dirty about，the naked girlish-looking figure，face down in the snow，the cracks made by the running dogs and the dear cold winter sky above。White fragments of clouds were drifting across the sky。They went racing across the little open space among the trees。
73 The scene in the forest had bee for me，without my knowing it，the foundation for the real story I am now trying to tell。The fragments，you see，had to be picked up slowly，long afterwards。
評注：自我瓦解了敘事者對故事敘述的權威性，這是安德森敘事技巧現代性的體現。而作者從多個角度來聚焦老婦人，既有第三人稱的轉述，又有第一人稱的直接敘事。這種將多重視角拚貼在一起的做法，很可能是受到了當時塞尚、梵高等人的繪畫立體主義的影響。
74 Things happened。When I was a young man I worked on the farm of aGerman。The hired girl was afraid of her employer。The farmer’s wife hated her。
75 I saw things at that place。Once later，I had a half-uncanny，mystical adventure with dogs in an Illinois forest on a clear，moonlit winter night。When I was a schoolboy，and on a summer day，I went with a boy friend out along a creek some miles from town and came to the house where the old woman had lived。No one had lived in the house since her death。The doors were broken from the hingesthe window lights were all broken。As the boy and I stood in the road outside，two dogs，just roving farm dogs no doubt，came running around the corner of the house。The dogs were tall，gaunt fellows and came down to the fence and glared through at us，standing in the road。
76 The whole thing，the story of the old woman’s death，was to me asI grew older like music heard from far off。The notes had to be picked up slowly one at a time。Something had to be understood。
77 The woman who died was one destined to feed animal life。Anyway，that is allshe ever did。She was feeding animal life before she was born，as a child，as ayoung woman working on the farm of the German，after she married，when she grewold and when she died。She fed animal life in cows，in chickens，in pigs，in horses，in dogs，in men。Her daughter had died in childhood and with her one son she had no articulate relations。On the night when she was hurrying homeward，bearing on her body food for animal life。
78 She died in the clearing in the woods and even after her death continued feeding animal life。
79 You see it is likely that，when my brother told the story，that night when wegot home and my mother and sister sat listening，I did not think he got the point。He was too young and so was I。A thing so plete has its own beauty。
80 I shall not try to emphasize the point。I am only explaining why I was dissatisfied then and have been ever since。I speak of that only that you may understand why I have been impelled to try to tell the simple story over again。
Comprehension Exercises：
1.Do you find Mrs。Grimes a sympathetic character？Why or why not？Cite specific passages from the text to support your point of view。
2.The narrator states that it was the woman’s destiny to“feed animal life”。Do you feel that this adequately explains the significance of the story？What are some of the other ideas and themes present in“Death in the Woods”？
3.In his preface to Winesburg，Sherwood Anderson describes his characters as“grotesques”。Research some critical responses to Anderson’s idea of“the grotesque”and relate your findings to“Death in the Woods”。How does this concept help you to understand Anderson’s portrayal of the old woman？
舍伍德·安德森（1876—1941）：美國小說家，主要從事短篇小說創作。他最著名的作品有短篇小說集《俄亥俄州瓦恩斯堡鎮》、《雞蛋的勝利》和自傳體小說《講故事者的故事》等。安德森曾在美國現代文學史上享有特殊重要的地位。威廉·福克納曾將他譽為“我們這一代作家的父親”，因為他的創作影響了一大批美國現當代作家，如海明威，福克納，托馬斯·伍爾夫，約翰·斯坦貝克等等。他堅持探討愛的失落這一主題，努力發掘造成人性扭曲的深層次原因，執著地探索人性的本質。《林中之死》是安德森短篇小說的代表作之一。在小說看似簡單的語言風格背後是安德森對人類生存狀態和人性的探討，具有心理的和形而上學的深度。此外，安德森在該小說中大膽地嚐試多重敘事視角和散文風格，挑戰了以往墨守成規的小說敘事形式。