It was December — a bright frozen day in the early morning.
This morning, I’m looking at the beginning sentence of “A Worn Path” because of its lack of specificity (in O’Connor-speak, its mysteries and manners). Note how the only specific elements mentioned are that it’s December, and it’s morning. Elements that aren’t given:
- The specific time or day,
- The specific December,
- The specific setting,
- How early is “early”,
- How bright is “bright”,
- How frozen it was.
And yet, from these lack of elements, we are able to draw our own picture. Also note the curious backtracking of order:
- December is established;
- Day is established; and, then,
- Morning is established.
We’re grounded in December, jump ahead to the day, and then jump back to the morning.
Without looking at the rest of the story hyperlinked above, does the next sentence — and, for that matter, the rest of the paragraph — lead us into a story that takes place outside, or inside?