Formalistic Criticism toward

Some of Us Had Been

Threatening
Our Friend Colby
By Donald Barthelme

…………………………… Mehdi HE
…………………………… http://www.mehdi-he.com

Note:
The whole story was a kind of personal practice before the literary
criticism mid-term exam. A group of my friends and I chose this story, and we
wrote our critics, then shared it in the group and discussed. What is written
below is my note in 25 May 2006.
Persian translation of this story is also available in this address:
http://mehdi-he.com/2006/08/blog-post_03.html

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 Some of us had been threatening our friend Colby is a
short story by Donald Barthelme. It is about hanging a man,
named Coldby by his friends. The setting of place is a city, in
early 20th century (considering the references to limousines)
when there ARE laws, but there are still cruel punishments by
gangs who have the power. It is a day in June. The story is
remembered (and narrated) by a character, when they've
threatened the guy, and eventually when they hung him in
outdoor, somewhere in a bank of a river. The language is simple,
easy to understand, educated and formal. It is narrated by the
first person point of view, therefore it is limited, but during
the story, the behavior of the narrator (who is merely an
observer) shows its reliability. There are ten characters
mentioned in this story; Howard, Hugh, Magnus, Tomas, Victor,
Harry, Paul, Hank, Elgar and Colby himself, but the only
narrator is first person point of view; I. Colby is protagonist
and his friends who decided to hang him are antagonists. The
theme is about cruelty of a mafia, and their killing in order to
observing the rules. There is also a second theme available,
which comes from the last sentence, and that is the
practicability of capital punishment.

At the very beginning of the story we face to a grotesque

situation - where there is an odd situation that arouses horror
and disgust, with the sense of humor and far to believe ideas.
From the beginning -and also in the title of the story- there
are words like “some of US” and “OUR friend” which bring the
sense of familiarization, as we are a part of the story, although
later we see it is like a confession, and we are just addressees.
In first six lines there is a connotation of a gang of children
who play games and exaggerate a lot. There is no special
imagery except a grotesque atmosphere, and heavy words that
are most likely words on a gang of boys. There are guys talking

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and discussing about their friend, Colby, to hang him because
he has passed the bounds and gone too far.

The story goes on when the writer narrates this strange

event in a cold blood manner which is a feature of grotesque
too, and we -as readers- have no way to deny the event. There
is also paradoxes, while they are hanging a man, they ask him to
“be reasonable, and just select a simple music to play”, and the
guy accepts and helps his friends, and also where they know it
is “illegal” but they are convinced of their “moral right” to hang
him, and inviting people to come and see. Inviting people and
having a ceremony includes drinking and the orchestra to play
the music, bring to the mind the idea of a party, as if these
people are a kind of god-fathers and have decided to warn
other people by sacrificing their prey during a ceremony, i.e.
hanging their friend in public.

In the second page it becomes clear that there is no

game, and they are not children. This grotesque atmosphere
brings a gothic -horror- one when we realize these men are
adults; one is in a car-rental business and the other is an
architect, and the like. So we get that they are serious in their
words. Despite the tone, there is not a dark imagery in the
story; it is June and outdoor is all green.

Then they talk of the kind of the wood for gibbet, and at
last they decide to use an oak tree instead. This imagery of
nature can have a connotation of a power which is in a wrong
hand. The nature that is free of vices is going to be used as a
mean of hanging. We have also imagery of the rain. Rain can
wash the guilt, it purifies and they wish the weather to be
rainy, although at the end we are informed of no rainy weather,
which makes this killing unforgettable and unforgivable.

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 As the story goes, it leads us to a point that there is a
mafia group, an organization of a gang, and they gain (and save)
their power by every mean, even killing. They call each other
friend, and they are cruel enough to hang one for disobeying
the rules, (going too far). Words like “firing squad” (which
Codby asks) and a simile to Draconians (those who, like Dracon,
enact cruel and strict laws) shows these men are educated;
they are really serious, and ensures us in the idea of a mafia
group.

Then there is an opinion that they may hang him by wire

(instead of rope). But the suggestion of scratching the tree
(which is in the form of a gibbet) and refusing of this opinion
brings again the seemingly rational, easy to talk and act
atmosphere. In the story when there is a talk of rationality, it
ends in a kind of fallacy. Like sophists, these people know how
to use words to reach their OWN goal.

In the last paragraph suddenly we face the cruelty of the

truth, they hung him as it is described and there is no sense of
regret. It is shocking, yes, they were unbelievably cruel! At
first we may think of this narration as a rough statement to
mention and warn others (let’s say to remind for new and young
members of the mafia group) but two last sentences supports
the mere observer narrator and the theme. It is as narrating a
truth or a memory of a mafia gang.