Roger Angell's “over the Wall”

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Estelle Sanderlin

Sally Nielsen

ENC1102

28th February 2016

In the writing of Roger Angell's “Over the Wall” the reader get's an insight to the passing of

Roger's wife Carol earlier in the year. This essay was put together not so much on her death but the

aftermath of her death. The essay starts with Roger explaining that his wife carol has missed out on

things in the recent events of the world. “My wife, Carol”, Roger Angell begins “doesn't know that

President Obama won re-election last Tuesday, carrying Ohio and Pennsylvania and Colorado, and

compiling more than three hundred electoral votes.” This essay was written on personal experience by

Angell. I have read some other of his writings and this was a very personal writing for him as he

usually likes to write about Baseball.

In this essay however, Roger finds himself writing about the passing of his wife Carol. I find

that with his writing about personal perspective he may be a little out of his unfamiliar territory. He

does not write about mourning in his essay but more of a personal reflection of the things in life she is

missing out on. We as humans tend to think in this point of view without even realizing that we are.

Loved ones missing birthdays, graduations, and births of new family members. Roger is not mourning

in the sense that we are used to in our own personal writings, he is more accepting of the fact that there

isn't much he can do. He accepts the situation for what it is.

“Although she was “seventeen years, nine months, and seventeen days younger than me (we

had a different plan about dying).” This to me is his way of saying yes, I know I should have gone first

but nobody can plan for the unexpected or know when our time is up. “What Carol doesn't know by

now is shocking” The thoughts of people in his life that have passed on seem to be reflected by Angell

by the moments they have missed.

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As for why this moves me, I have lost my father and I also think back to the memories he has

missed since his passing.