“Bubber had put his slingshot in his pocket and now he played with the rifle. Spareribs was ten years old and his father had died the month before and this had been his father’s gun. All the smaller kids loved to handle that rifle. Every few minutes Bubber would haul the gun up to his shoulder. He took aim and made a loud pow sound. ‘Don’t monkey with the trigger,’ said Spareribs. ‘I got the gun loaded’ ” (McCullers, 162).
Through this quote, the author seems to be simply describing a little boy playing with his friend’s new possession. The tone of this piece was very casual, and it seemed that not much was happening in the story; thus, I began to feel my mind start to wander. However, when I read the last sentence, “I got the gun loaded” (McCullers, 162), I was suddenly shocked to attention. The author’s tone and grammar had not changed, but her subtle inclusion of those five little words grabbed my attention and caused me to fear that something bad was about to happen to Bubber. However, I thought I was jumping to conclusions, and I hoped that the author meant nothing by those words. Yet when Bubber shot Baby Wilson, I realized that McCullers strategically wrote those words to allow the reader to peek into the future. This is just one of the examples in the novel where McCullers drops hints that are so subtle that they are often missed until the prophesied event comes to pass. Then, one realizes that McCullers’ writing style is not only descriptive of the facts, but it is also subtle and mysterious. This leads me to question the face value of her words, and wonder, are they pointing forward to an unknown that will leave me surprised once again?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou got a great point. I have also noticed such a “peek into the future” as you call it. It was the passage where Mr. Singer had a vivid nightmare about his friend Antonapoulos. I knew right there this dream was a sign. When Mr. Singer decided to visit Antonapoulos, I assumed he would be dead. Because Mr. Singer found him fine but sick, I knew this was the last time they see each other. When Mr. Singer came to visit his friend later, I knew Antonapoulos might be dead. Didn’t you have the same feeling the dream was a sign?
Hana
Yes! I completely agree. When I read those words, I had the same feeling in me that something bad was going to happen. I also found that the writing style that you pointed out "peek into the future" was also used in, A Good Man is Hard to Find. I believe Diamond pointed this out, specifically when the grandmother made a big fuss about the “misfit” you somehow know he was going to come back up in the story, and when, the grandmother pointed out the graveyard, it foreshadowed their deaths.
ReplyDeleteI really like how these authors use this technique, like you said its mysterious. To me, its a great way to keep my attention and keep me interested in the story overall
I completely agree! That was what I personally wrote about. I think that passage, or that scene in particular stood out the most to me. It made me realize that McCullers's style of writing is casual, but it's not safe. Something bad IS bound to happen.
ReplyDeleteAnna, good post! I think you're exactly right. She's so matter of fact that it's easy to skip over these things, isn't it? Sara, I love the way you put it: It's not safe, but it's casual. Great. Good job!
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