This piece was great, well not great as far as the context by great as far as how the writer wrote it. While I was reading it I had pictures of king Solomon in my head wanting to saw the baby in half. Although, the difference being that in the tale of king Solomon, the true mother of the child did want to harm her child. In Popular Mechanics, both parents were so concerned over who was to blame or who was right, they didn’t care about the welfare of the child. The parents were so heated that they got into what was basically a tug-o-war with the child in the middle, completely oblivious to the fact that the child was in pain.
To me the writer used theme and setting to convey his message. The use of setting, to me was apparent in the first paragraph when the author describes how “cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too.” The use of symbolism was also apparent in the first paragraph. The sentence “the snow was melting into dirty water” is symbolic of something pure, like the snow, transforming into something dirty. The snow melting into dirty water is similar to how the harmonious family structure inside the house is also breaking down into something dirty.
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I agree with you, the way the story was written was great, but the story itself was desturbing.
ReplyDeleteI like your interpretation of "the snow was melting into dirty water." I had similar thoughts about how something in the story was symbolizing the good that once was, and the bad that is happening.
ReplyDeleteJust to layer on some extra bonus symbolism, melting snow often symbolizes the transition from winter to spring and thus the cycle of death to new life. Another irony considering the outcome of this domestic squabble. The selfishness present in this story is massive, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI didn't really see the symbolism you mentioned while reading the book. The way you described it was really interesting. I did, however, think of the king Solomon story while reading as well. It is a shame this story didn't have as happy of an ending.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the use of symbolism and setting was great. It made me feel as though I was in the room watching the story unfold.
ReplyDeleteI also had the story of King Solomon running through my head while reading, so i was actually excited to see the question about it that we had to answer. But I agree with Andrew in that I wish the ending was given on a happier note. It left me depressed at humanity...or lack thereof.
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