Ben Hecht, in his haunting portrayal of the execution of the axe-fiend, James Hartley, in a story called “The Lost Soul,” challenges the reader’s attitudes toward capital punishment and also employs irony to shape those attitudes [Thesis Statement]. He appears to ask the question, “Is it moral to execute a man, no matter how evil, who does not know who he is or what he has done?”

Hecht’s strategy involves the reader by emotionally binding him to the fate of the central character [Topic Sentence]. The secret kept from James Hartley, that he is, in fact, an axe-fiend who murdered his entire family, is a secret also kept from the reader. The fact that the setting is a prison and that the amnesiac central character is completely in the dark as to why he has been detained there arouses the sympathy of the reader, who thinks, initially, that it could indeed be a mistake. This is a deliberate strategy on the part of the writer to increase the horror of Hartley’s ultimate fate. We learn, as the axe-fiend does, who he really is and share in his horror when he screams “This ain’t me!”

It is only on a second reading, with the secret revealed, that the irony of Hartley’s lines are understood [Topic Sentence: Refers back to thesis]. For instance, he asked the doctor, “I unquestionably have a family who are worrying. You know, I've been trying to figure out what sort of man I am. It's very interesting. For instance, I'm obviously educated and unused to jails." The speculative history he imagines for himself does not match the evil and appalling fate for his family. He keeps returning to the idea that there must be a family out there worried about him, when in fact they died a hideous death, at his hands, and are now buried.

Though there are hints in the story that James Hartley may be involved in a clever ruse to gain the sympathy of his executioners and to perhaps avoid his fate, the most compelling piece of evidence is provided by the doctor who examines him [Topic Sentence—furthers thesis]. After placing a stethoscope in the proximity of his heart, the doctor proclaims to his guards: "’Very remarkable,’ he spoke after a long pause of listening. ‘Normal. Absolutely normal heart action,’” implying that he believed in Hartley’s amnesia, for no human facing imminent execution could control the flow of adrenaline and the beat of his heart.

Though the story admits of some ambiguity, the underlying vision emerges of a writer hostile to capital punishment [Topic Sentence—refers to thesis]. In order to gain the sympathies of his readers, Hecht cleverly constructs his tale so as to encourage the reader to identify with an axe-murderer facing his execution, at least on the first reading. A second reading heightens the sense of irony by revealing multiple instances of dramatic irony, wherein the condemned man reveals his total ignorance toward his crime and the loved ones who were his victims. By constructing his story in this deliberate fashion, Hecht causes every reader to at least momentarily question his attitudes toward state sponsored murder, either for prevention or for retribution.