# II: Who Drives Sane Oxen Should Himself Be Sane explained — Can Such Things Be? > Chapter companion for Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce. ## What happens The narrator encounters a peculiar little man driving an oxcart, who addresses him with strange familiarity and leads him back to the ravine where Jo Dunfer and Ah Wee are buried. The man reveals the true story of Ah Wee's death: Whisky Jo killed Ah Wee in a jealous rage, mistaking the narrator's earlier actions for poisoning, and confesses his own madness stemming from a woman's murder years ago. ## Themes in this chapter ### Guilt and Retribution Whisky Jo's confession reveals his guilt over Ah Wee's death and his fear of the dead man, suggesting a haunting sense of retribution. ### Madness and Perception The narrator questions Whisky Jo's sanity, and Jo himself admits to going 'loony' nine years ago, blurring the line between reality and delusion. ### Death and the Supernatural The graves, the return to the ravine, and Whisky Jo's fear of the dead man evoke a supernatural atmosphere where the dead seem to exert influence. ## Character check-ins ### Jo Dunfer Referred to as 'Whisky' or 'W'isky'; the narrator's former acquaintance who killed Ah Wee and is now buried beside him. ### Ah Wee The murdered Chinese man; his grave is beside Jo Dunfer's, and the story of his death is recounted. ### Whisky Jo The queer little man driving the oxcart; reveals himself as the one who killed Ah Wee and later went mad after a woman's murder. ## Key lines > Gee-up, there, old Fuddy-Duddy! The driver shouts at his oxen, calling them 'Fuddy-Duddy,' as a command to move. _The narrator is uncertain whether the driver is addressing him or the oxen._ > W'at did you do to W'isky? The driver asks the narrator what he did to Whisky (Jo Dunfer). _The question implies a hidden accusation, making the narrator feel guilty._ > He lies aside of Ah Wee up the gulch. The driver says that Jo Dunfer is buried next to Ah Wee in the ravine. _This reveals the location of the graves and the driver's knowledge of the narrator's past._ > No, sir; he justifiably homicided him. The driver corrects the narrator, saying Jo Dunfer didn't murder Ah Wee but killed him justifiably. _This sarcastic response highlights the legal and racial biases of the time._ > Nine years ago! ... w'en that big brute killed the woman who loved him better than she did me! The driver reveals he went mad nine years ago when a man killed the woman he loved. _This outburst explains his madness and his motive for following and protecting her._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters/ii-who-drives-sane-oxen-should-himself-be-sane - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/can_such_things_be_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters