During the sixth chapter the diction about the sun foreshadows Meursault’s murder of the Arab man. At the beginning of the chapter Meursault says “The day, already bright with sun, hit my like a slap in the face” (47). Meursault is then on annoyed at many little things that are going on around him like Raymond’s outfit and then there is a mention of the Arabs watching them get on the bus. Then on page 52, “The sun was shining almost directly overhead onto the sand, and the glare on the water was unbearable”. Soon after they encounter the two Arab men but because of the use of the word unbearable and that Meursault does not heavily denounce the sun yet is foreshadow to the the men escaping. On page 55 Meursault says, “By now the sun was overpowering. It shattered into little pieces on the sand and water” and when Meursault takes Raymond’s gun to head to the beach, “There was the same dazzling red glare” (57). Meursaults language about the sun becomes more and more intense as he nears the murder. Then during the scene when he is fighting the Arab man he describes personifies the light as cutting into his forehead and the light is crashing down on him, cutting and stabbing into his eyes (59). This intense, vivid imagery about the sun foreshadows Meursault shooting him. The sun plays a role in foreshadowing Meursault shooting the man but could also play a role in killing itself.
Author: AVA ECKMAN
And Exit I Shall
For my summer reading book I chose “Exit, Pursued by a Bear” by E. K. Johnston. The story is split into 4 parts each surrounding a the main character Hermione Winters and the trauma she endures at summer. Johnston is able to create a new world in her writing but is unable to enchant, which Nabokov says is the most important part of storytelling. I also think that for the simplicity of the plot Johnston does not take the story anywhere new (or make better than nature). The message of the writing is the most important part but her writing does not add anything to the meaning, it just relays it. Johnston’s writing lacked a lot of imagery which was another reason the book was unable to enchant. I think imagery is really important in captivating an audience. Much like Sydney, I also chose it just because of the cover so I have no one to blame but myself for reading this book. I think if Johnston was to add a plot twist it could’ve made this read a lot more enjoyable and I defiantly should read the back cover of things next time I decide what book I’m going to read.
The Bird Passage
On page 80 of the reading I thought that the second paragraph on the page regarding the birds singing was particularly interesting. As Jeff’s body begins to ascend, he talks about how the birds “were manifesting as the earth’s bright-colored nerve endings, the sun’s descent urging them into activity…”. The imagery in this line is very intense and is an interesting animal to chose in a seemingly futuristic world. I’m also curious about the significance of this passage to the overall meaning of the story. I think that the bird’s are a symbol for parts of the reading when Abnesti is able to manipulate the participants feelings. At the end of the passage when it says “that bird’s distinctive song… an accident of brain chemistry” is a connection between the drugs that they administer and the feelings it produces similar to that of a bird and it’s song.
