I'll Have a Bowl of Suicide For Breakfast.

When Jimmy wakes up the next morning he heard alot of people talking in the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen, his grandfather informs him that Mr. Shimerda is dead. With Ambrosch curled up on a nearby bench, the Burdens quietly discuss the apparent suicide as they eat breakfast. Jake thinks that Krajiek did it. He tells them about Krajiek's strange behavioraround the body. He also sees that Krajiek's axe fits the gash in Mr. Shimerda's face. Otto Fuchs and Mrs. Burden talk him out of his suspicions. The cant touch or move the body until the couriner comes in from Black Hawk but, the Burdens go to the Shimerda house to comfort the family. Jim stays behind though and finds himself alone. After completing a few chores, he settles down to contemplate Mr. Shimerda's death. At dusk, the wagon returns, and Jake describes the scene at the Shimerdas' to Jim.
The next day, Otto returns from Black Hawk with a young Bohemian named Anton Jelinek. At dinner, Jelinek tells them that there isn’t a priest that can be found to put Mr. Shimerda to rest. After dinner Jelinek goes out to clear a road to the Shimerdas' wide enough for a wagon, and Otto begins to construct a coffin. Later that day, a number of other locals stop at the Burdens' to ask after the Shimerdas and discuss the tragedy. The coroner refrains from issuing a warrant for Krajiek at Mr. Burden's urging The Burdens find out that there are no graveyards willing to take Mr. Shimerda because he killed him self. Mrs. Burden lashes out in bitterness at this unfairness. With no graveyard to turn to, the Shimerdas decide that they will bury Mr. Shimerda on the corner of their homestead
After lying dead in the barn for four days, Mr. Shimerda is finally buried on his own land. Despite the beginnings of another ominous snowfall, rural neighbors come from miles around to attend the burial. At Mrs. Shimerda's request, Mr. Burden says a prayer in English for Mr. Shimerda, and afterward Otto leads the assembled group in a hymn.
I feel really bad for the Shimerda family. The family was going through a hard enough time as it is with out this added on top of it. There wasn't even muvh time between Pavel and Mr. Shimerda's death. Maybe he was just still very depresses from the loss of his friend. I still have a little inkling that Krajiek might have had something to do with the death. The ax did fit in to the gash.




"I remember how, as we bent over the peavines, beads of perspiration used to gather on her upper lip like a little moustache."