I agree with Trevor in that the violence is stated in a very matter of fact way. The abruptness of it results from a lack of sensitivity. There is no working up to the more violent descriptions, such as the old man hacked up, because it is simply another observation in a setting. The letter which talks about the father and his sons portrays awful events happening even among family members. Considering that this is what happens between blood relation, the reader can only imagine how the author would describe other types of cruelty.