The one area, however, in which Pat displays brief sensations of security and settlement is in the kitchen where Pat has lit a fire. The kitchen is most frequently described as ‘warm’ and ‘light’. Pat seeks comfort in these qualities as can be seen when he decides to move his bed to the kitchen and sleep there. This reveals his inward fears of his imaginings and symbolizes his fear of solitude because he now feels the need to seek out the comfort he no longer feels in his own room. The fire assumes the role of a diminishing protector as the extract develops. In the first paragraph, the ‘flame(s) roared through the wood’ symbolizing an aggressive attribute to the fire. During this paragraph, the mood was lazy and laid back, as Pat has not yet begun to show signs of nervousness or unease. During the second paragraph, as the mood shifts to uncertainty and shiftiness, the fire is simply implied when Pat returns to the ‘warm and lighted kitchen’. He believe he is returning to the security and comfort of the fire which is now described as warm, a much less aggressive form of diction than depicted in the first paragraph. Finally, as Pat reaches the climax of his nerves and imaginings, the fire is described to ‘crick softly’. Although this is an appealing sound, it comes across as much weaker as it is a ‘soft’ sound. This symbolizes that Pat’s nerves have gotten the best of him and despite his presence in the kitchen, so near to the fire; it can no longer protect him. The kitchen was normally perceived as the hearth of the home or the center of life in the household due to the fire for cooking being located there and thus, warming the room. The constant diminishing of the fire’s power in correlation with Pat’s rising nerves allows for a steady development of tension as is can be metaphoric of the ‘center of life’ dying, allowing the figures of the dead and imagination to take over. This emphasizes not only the build in tension, but also the themes of life and death.
The juxtaposition of life and death paired with the juxtaposition of movement and stillness also play a large role in building the tension in the extract. Throughout the extract, the non-present figures representing death are described to be much more active than Pat as a living being. The figures are depicted as ‘malignant life’ and Pat’s imaginings included the sounds of ‘rocking chairs’ and ‘loud breathing of the old people’ that are no longer there. Where as Pat is consistently described to be ‘tense’ and ‘listening’. This shows that he is waiting or anticipating an apparition of some sort, which in turn causes readers to anticipate a build up to something as well, all of this creating tension.
This build up, is enhanced through the use of pairing syntax and diction to control the pace. In the first paragraph, the use of the word ‘sank’ to describe how Pat sat in a chair and the syntax of the sentence: ‘the straightening of the house could be done tomorrow, or any day for that matter’, immediately introduces a relaxed pace. However, the following paragraph instantly quickens the pace with the use of the word ‘threw’ when Pat opens the door to the sitting room. The change of pace was implemented to emphasize Pat’s change in thoughts as the thought that when the housework was done didn’t really matter because he was now alone possibly frightened him, perhaps even without his immediate realization of the sensation, which was then depicted through his actions. His emotional and mental turmoil is further emphasized through his physical being by the use of repetition of body parts. His nostrils ‘were assailed by the smell of funeral flowers and age and medicine’ which are scents that would have reminded him of the funeral that had taken place, and in turn, death. His body was then described as ‘tense and cold’, reflecting his nervous air while the use of the word ‘cold’ is symbolic of death as a corpse would be described to be ‘tense and cold’, creating a parallel between the themes of life and death. His head and legs are also described to become ‘damp with perspiration’ as he is nearing the climax of his nerves. It is as though his mind is willing there to be some form of life while his physical being refutes the imaginings of his mind, symbolizing the coming to terms with a death (the questioning, resenting, wishing, and other conflicting emotions). All the while, the pace is continuously increasing until the very end, at the climax of Pat’s conflict where he ‘silently and miserably…crept from his bed and locked the door…” out of fear of his imaginings. The very last line Pat ‘become(s) very still, and…was lonely’ showing that he has come to the revelation of the rising tension. This revelation is a development in his character, where in the beginning of the extract he believed he would be comfortable alone, when in reality he is not content with his newfound solitude.
This extract serves to attract readers’ attention through the rising tension created by the many forms of contrast and parallels. It includes a rapidly increasing pace that help to affect the shifts in mood, juxtaposition that introduce themes and motifs that contribute to symbolism and parallels. These all help to form the exploration of the character’s process of development, allowing readers to understand his emotions and inner turmoil. Eventually leading to the revelation of the characters discontentment with his newfound solitude.
