Setting Flashcards
(39 cards)
What metaphor is used to describe a cave in the sky?
“Like a cave floating in the sky.”
(Ch10, Pg78)
How is the sound of a voice described in relation to a swamp?
“I recalled the sound of his voice thanking me, a voice that seemed to rise slowly up as though from the depths of a swamp.”
(Ch10, Pg78)
What is said about the air in the room?
“It was though the air in the room and the air around him had gone stale, having failed to blend together.”
(Ch11, Pg80)
What does a heart symbolize in the text?
“I’d imagine you’d be uncomfortable, with your heart full of so many forgotten things” / “A heart has no shape, no limits.”
(Ch11, Pg81)
What is questioned about a body in hiding?
“Was it an illusion, or had his body actually begun to shrink since he’d hidden himself away here?”
(Ch14, Pg119)
What feeling does the narrator associate with being in a lighthouse?
“When I find myself here, I always feel as though I’m in a lighthouse…The lighthouse of my childhood had long ago ceased to give off light”
(Ch6, Pg40)
How is communication described between the characters?
“…nothing passes between us except by means of the typewriter. Even when we’re making love, it waits quietly by the bed.”
(Ch8, p54)
What does the calm in the room resemble?
“I was convinced that the calm in the room would assume an almost physical form, like a gas leaking from the stopwatch he held in his hand.”
(Ch12, p89)
What imagery is used to describe the snowfall and its effects?
“Snow had begun to fall again, covering the tracks between the gate of the church as the clock tower. He continued to hold me tighter and tighter…It seemed strange that I would be preoccupied with the stopwatch when I should have been worrying about what he was trying to do to me. The bell in the clock tower began to chime…The vibration came from far above, rattling the window glass and passing through our bodies, before being absorbed by the snow below…I held my breath, unable to move, as though locked inside the typewriter.”
(Ch12, p92)
What happens to words when there is no means to express them?
“Once I realised there was no means to get them out, words seemed to proliferate wildly inside me, filling my chest and suffocating me.”
(Ch15, p129)
How does the sound of the clock affect the room?
“The sound of the clock flows along the ceiling, strikes the wall, shakes the floor, and, having nowhere to go, rattles about the room for a long time.”
(Ch18, 162)
What happens to typewriters over time?
“If voices, like bodies, decline and decay, then most of these [typewriters], crushed under this mountain, have been choked off and are hardened and useless.”
(Ch18, p163)
What is noted about the snowfall in the narrative?
“It was the first time in ages the snow had fallen.”
(Ch 13)
How does the snow affect the townspeople’s hearts?
“It was as though the snow had frozen their hearts.”
(Ch 13)
What challenges do townspeople face with the snow?
“the snow was still piled up, fluffy and new, and it came up to my ankles with each step I took. The Memory Police wore snow boots, but the townspeople had great difficulty making their way through the streets.”
(Ch 13)
What detail is given about a character’s collar?
“The fur trim at his collar looked damp, as though snow had melted on it.”
(Ch 13)
What dialogue occurs regarding the snow?
‘It’s snowing again,’ I told him. …. ‘This is an unusual year.’
(Ch 13)
How does the narrator describe the changes brought by snow?
‘Everything outside is completely different from when you came here. The snow has changed everything.’ … ‘Well, it’s difficult to describe. For one thing, the world is completely buried. The snow is so deep that the sun barely starts to melt it when it does come out. It rounds everything, makes it look lumpy, and it somehow makes everything seen much smaller — the sky and sea, the hills and the forest and the river. And we all go around with our shoulders hunched over.’
(Ch 13)
What request is made regarding the snow?
‘Would you like me to hold the funnel by the window so you can hear the snow falling?’ … ‘Aah, I can feel it. I can feel the snow.’
(Ch 13)
What happens to the snow over time?
“The snow had turned filthy with soot.”
(Ch 19)
What difficulties are mentioned regarding the street conditions?
“The street was icy in places and there were snowdrifts, making it difficult to pull the cart.”
(Ch 19)
What happens to the snow and mud in the narrative?
“The snow had melted all around and the mud sucked at your shoes with each step.”
(Ch 19)
What impact does snow have on the environment?
“the snow piled up on the ground made things even more difficult.”
(Ch 25)
What question is posed about the cold and snow?
“Would the cold creeping up from the snow bring feeling back to it?”
(Ch 25)
