The Terrapin
Encyclopedia
"The Terrapin" is a short story
by Patricia Highsmith
. Based on the difficult relationship she had with her own mother, the story revolves around a young boy, Victor, who's emotionally abused by his difficult, haughty mother, an illustrator of children's books.
The terrapin of the title, a small tortoise
purchased by his mother for cooking, suffers an agonizing death when she drops it into the boiling pan. This event pushes young Victor over the edge—he believes he heard it scream—and during the night he butchers his mother with a kitchen knife
for revenge. The story ends while he's being examined by doctors in a psychiatric hospital
.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short-story writer most widely known for her psychological thrillers, which led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times, notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951...
. Based on the difficult relationship she had with her own mother, the story revolves around a young boy, Victor, who's emotionally abused by his difficult, haughty mother, an illustrator of children's books.
The terrapin of the title, a small tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
purchased by his mother for cooking, suffers an agonizing death when she drops it into the boiling pan. This event pushes young Victor over the edge—he believes he heard it scream—and during the night he butchers his mother with a kitchen knife
Kitchen knife
A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives – notably a large chef's knife, a tough cleaver, and a small paring knife – there are also many specialized knives that are designed for...
for revenge. The story ends while he's being examined by doctors in a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
.