What is Joe's situation? Why does he compare it to drowning?
The first character we meet is Joe. He is on the verge of dying but hasn't yet. Joe has many memories and flashbacks during the first two chapters. He says that he is deaf and can't hear anymore then sates that he is getting his arm cut off. All of this relates to the story Joe told about drowning. The story was how someone couldn't drown. "He has been rising and sinking for days weeks months who could tell?" Joe has been on the verge of dying but hasn't yet. I get the impression that Joe wanted to die and get all of his pain over with. Since he is deaf and doesn't have arms he feels like death but just can't die just like trying to drown but can't. He remembers when Kareen asks for Joe to hug him but he gets upset because how is he supposed to hug her without any arms. In the first chapters we don't clearly know what is wrong Joe and why he is hurt but we have an idea that he was fighting in a war.
2 comments:
I thought you did a good job, especially by backing up your opinions with citations from the book. I agree that being senseless is like drowning, you just don't know whats going on and everything is coming at you.
Very good blog, especially with the aforementioned citations. Having absolutely no control over your situation (to borrow an image from the next reading) is like floating peacefully in a river, then starting to slip under, panicking but helpless all the while. However, it clearly states that he was in a bunker and a bomb exploded outside, which led to Joe's body being the gruesome image now immortalized on the back white board.
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