The conflict between man and nature dates back to the beginning of time, when Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. “The Rattler” tells the story of a man torn between his morals and his sense of duty. He finally decides to obey his sense of duty and kills in a fateful encounter with a rattlesnake. The author wrote a first-person narrative, which allowed the reader to actively engage in the progression of the story. In the story “The Rattlesnake,” the author uses sensory detail and expressive diction to describe a longed-for encounter between man and nature, and that duty may be accompanied by the agonizing sacrifice of morality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The snake initially appears harmless, with its head "not drawn back to strike," which made the narrator's first instinct be to "let it go on its way" and the narrator would go on its road By describing the snake in this way, the narrator believes that the snake may not have bad intentions and is simply intrigued by the narrator Since the narrator's first thought is to let the snake go, the man is freed from any idea that was looking for prey to kill, as a hunter would. As the passage progresses, the narrator's inner turmoil continues, and he thinks that "the sport of taking life is a satisfaction he cannot experience"; , feels that “his duty, clearly, was to kill the snake.” The narrator expresses his mixed feelings about killing the snake, as killing it would go against his personal moral values. A description of his internal conflict pushes the audience to feel sympathy towards him and understand that he is sorry. The narrator regards the snake as respectable and noble and treats him as an equal by calling the snake "he" when referring to the snake. He realizes that the snake is not a mindless animal, but an intelligent being with a noble appearance. The description of the serpent serves to create the image of a calm, knight-like figure, confident in his place in nature. Respect for the snake comes from its loyal attitude, as it “sportingly” warns the narrator that the snake is capable of killing and would do so if threatened; however, the narrator understands that the snake is only doing this in self-defense since it made an unprovoked attack, which is why he remains uncertain whether to kill the snake. The snake's intelligence is evident to the narrator when he notices when the snake realizes that he has brought a hoe, and once again reminds the audience that the narrator is torn in his decision to kill. Unlike the hunters who feel proud of their kill, the narrator is not proud of having killed the snake. As he looks at the snake's corpse, he feels that "it was all an ugly, pitiful sight now." As the narrator thinks at the beginning of the passage, taking a life brings him no pleasure or satisfaction; rather, he would willingly let the serpent live. He sees the snake as a living being, not just a conquest to kill, shown as if "he didn't cut rattles for a trophy." If the narrator had been a hunter who cared about showing off his game, he would not have hesitated in his decision to kill. After killing the snake, the narrator feels disgusted for having committed a heinous act and feels remorse. The description of his feelings ultimately evokes sympathy in the reader and pushes him to understand why the narrator felt he had to commit the act. Keep in mind: this is.