As you read the story summary below, try to identify the author’s purpose for writing the story. On an intolerably hot August day, an artist draws a sketch from imagination. The picture shows a criminal who has just been sentenced in court and appears devastated by the verdict. Later, the artist goes for a walk in the unrelenting heat and wanders into the workshop of a stonemason. To his dismay, the stonemason looks exactly like the criminal in his sketch. Even more shocking, the model headstone that the stonemason has been carving bears the name of the artist and the current day’s date. Shaken by the coincidences, the men agree that the artist should stay put until midnight to avoid any possible accidents outside. The story ends with the two men sitting in silence as the stonemason sharpens his tools in August heat that is “enough to send a man mad.”
Which of the following describes the author’s most likely purpose?
A. to warn that men should not handle sharp tools in extreme conditions
B. to convince the reader that August heat can drive people insane
C. to explore the concept of fate while creating a mood of horror
D. to explore a situation in which an artist has been driven mad by heat