# Bert Kessler explained — Spoon River Anthology

> Chapter companion for Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.

## What happens

Bert Kessler recounts a hunting incident where he shoots a quail, only to be bitten by a rattlesnake hidden beneath the bird's resting place, leading to his collapse.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Legacy

The chapter depicts a sudden, violent encounter with death through the quail's fall and the snake's strike, highlighting the fragility of life.

### Illusion vs. Reality

Bert's focus on the bird's beauty and the golden light contrasts sharply with the hidden danger of the rattlesnake, revealing the deceptive nature of appearances.

## Character check-ins

### Bert Kessler

The narrator and protagonist of the chapter, who is bitten by a rattlesnake while retrieving a quail he shot.

## Key lines

> I winged my bird, Though he flew toward the setting sun; But just as the shot rang out, he soared Up and up through the splinters of golden light, Till he turned right over, feathers ruffled, With some of the down of him floating near, And fell like a plummet into the grass.

I shot my bird as it flew into the sunset; it rose briefly through the golden light, then tumbled down with feathers loose, landing heavily in the grass.

_Bert describes the moment he shot the quail, emphasizing the beauty of the scene before the bird's fall._

> I reached my hand, but saw no brier, But something pricked and stung and numbed it. And then, in a second, I spied the rattler⁠— The shutters wide in his yellow eyes, The head of him arched, sunk back in the rings of him, A circle of filth, the color of ashes, Or oak leaves bleached under layers of leaves.

I reached down, feeling a prick that numbed my hand, and then saw the rattlesnake with its yellow eyes open, its head coiled back in a filthy, ash-colored circle.

_Bert realizes he has been bitten by a rattlesnake, which he describes in vivid, repulsive detail._

> I stood like a stone as he shrank and uncoiled And started to crawl beneath the stump, When I fell limp in the grass.

I stood frozen as the snake retreated under the stump, then I collapsed limply into the grass.

_Bert's paralysis from the venom leads to his collapse after the snake slithers away._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters/bert-kessler
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters