Why be Funny?

"It was a happy dream, and filled with hope, although Solon wondered where he had come up with so many bullets. He must have won the bullet lottery. And he must have gotten holt of a heavier pistol too, .38 caliber at least, Solon would have to guess, judging by the amount of carnage" (Nordan 110).

Lying abruptly within the surreal crisis that Solon experiences during his time in the Arrow Hotel, this passage highlights one of the most fascinating dualities in Wolf Whistle, the existence of humor within such great sadness. Obviously, Nordan writes the story as a retelling of the Emmett Till saga predating the Civil Rights Movement but does so through a bizarrely comic means. Here in the story, Solon is contemplating murdering his family as well as himself, yet Nordan decides to frequently inject his pitch black sense of humor throughout. For instance, he coins the term "bullet lottery" (110). Although the humor is indeed pervasive, it never seems to wholly undermine or derail the flow of the story. Somehow the gonzo sense of humor meshes well with the telling of the story and in a way helps the reader better understand the state of mind of characters like Solon.

Discussion Question: Much has been made of the profound impact that the Emmett Till trial had on Nordan, why then does he decide to fill his retelling of the story with wild humor as well as profound sadness and horror?