The speaker is an adult man reflecting on a vivid memory from when he was seven years old. As a child, he possessed a highly dramatic imagination, prone to viewing a simple metal sliver as an "assassin" bound for his heart. Now grown, he applies the quiet, soothing mannerisms he observed in his childhood to his current life, carefully tending to the physical injuries of his own family members.

The father is a figure of immense calm and competence, possessing a background in medical training and a later vocation as a minister. He operates with "two measures of tenderness" and "the flames of discipline," using a soothing voice to completely capture his son's attention during a painful splinter removal. His methodical, caring approach defuses his son's panic and establishes a lasting model of compassion.

The wife is the speaker's partner, whose present-day injury prompts the speaker's deep reflection on his past. She suffers from a painful splinter that requires the speaker to carefully shave down her nail to extract the metal fragment. Her situation mirrors the speaker's childhood accident, creating an opportunity for him to practice the tenderness he absorbed years earlier.