A Hanging: Setting and Prisoner Description

• The story is set in Burma on a "sodden morning of the rains," with a "sickly light" illuminating the jail yard.
• The narrator and others are waiting outside the condemned cells, described as sheds with double bars, resembling small animal cages.
• The cells are sparse, containing only a plank bed and a pot of drinking water.
• Condemned men are squatting silently in some cells, draped in blankets, awaiting their hanging within the next week or two.
• One prisoner, a "puny wisp of a man" identified as a Hindu with a shaven head and "vague liquid eyes", is brought from his cell.
• The prisoner has a large moustache that seems disproportionate to his small body.
• Six tall Indian warders guard him, preparing him for the gallows by handcuffing him, chaining him to their belts, and lashing his arms to his sides.
• The warders maintain a careful and constant grip on the prisoner, as if ensuring he doesn't escape.
• The prisoner remains unresisting, yielding his arms to the ropes without apparent notice.
• At eight o'clock, a bugle call from the distant barracks pierces the wet air.
• The superintendent, an army doctor with a grey moustache and gruff voice, urges Francis, the head jailer, to hasten the execution.
• Francis, a "fat Dravidian" in a white suit and gold spectacles, assures the superintendent that everything is prepared and the hangman is waiting.
• The superintendent expresses concern the prisoners cannot eat breakfast until the hanging is complete.
• The group proceeds towards the gallows, with warders flanking and gripping the prisoner, while magistrates and others follow.
• The procession halts abruptly when a dog appears in the yard, bounding and barking excitedly, and attempts to lick the prisoner's face.
• The dog is described as a large, woolly mix of Airedale and pariah breeds.
• The superintendent demands to know who let the dog in and orders someone to catch it.
• A warder tries to catch the dog without success, while a young Eurasian jailer throws gravel at it, but the dog dodges and continues to approach the group.
• The prisoner, still held by the warders, observes the commotion indifferently.

Observations

• Eventually, someone catches the dog, and it is restrained with a handkerchief.
• The group resumes their march to the gallows, about forty yards away.
• The narrator focuses on the prisoner's bare brown back and his steady but clumsy walk, noting how he avoids a puddle on the path.
• This observation leads the narrator to contemplate the profound wrongness of ending a healthy, conscious life.
• The narrator reflects on the prisoner's body still functioning, his senses still perceiving the world, and his brain still reasoning.
• The gallows are located in a separate yard overgrown with weeds, consisting of a brick structure with planking, beams, a crossbar, and a dangling rope.
• The hangman, an elderly convict in a white prison uniform, greets the group with a servile gesture.
• Warders guide the prisoner to the gallows, where the hangman secures the rope around his neck.
• With the noose in place, the prisoner begins to cry out "Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!" repeatedly.
• The cry is described as steady and rhythmical, almost like a tolling bell, rather than a desperate plea.
• The dog responds to the sound with a whine.
• The hangman covers the prisoner's face with a cotton bag, but the cries persist.
• The superintendent grows impatient and signals for the execution to proceed.

The Execution and Aftermath

• The hangman pulls the lever, and the prisoner disappears, the rope twisting.
• The dog runs to the back of the gallows, barks, and retreats to a corner, watching the group warily.
• The group inspects the prisoner's body, finding him dangling and still.
• The superintendent confirms the prisoner is dead and declares the morning's task complete.
• The warders march away, and the dog follows.
• The group exits the gallows yard and enters the main prison yard, where convicts are receiving breakfast.
• The atmosphere shifts to one of relief and gaiety.
• The Eurasian boy shares an anecdote about the dead man having urinated on his cell floor in fright upon hearing his appeal was dismissed and shows off a cigarette case.
• Francis recounts a story about a troublesome prisoner who clung to his cage bars and had to be forcibly removed.
• The superintendent invites everyone for a drink of whisky in his car.
• The group, including native and European members, shares a drink amicably, finding humor in Francis's anecdote.
• The dead man is now just a hundred yards away, but largely forgotten in the shared laughter and camaraderie.

Analysis of the setting and prisoner's appearance. A 'puny wisp of a man' is led to the gallows, described with attention to his physical details and the oppressive atmosphere. The scene is set in a Burmese jail during the rainy season.