She presses a hand up against the Weatherall planks…their windup nature in brightest bloom (Bacigalupi, 2015, 162).
Understanding the Setting
The paragraph illustrates the opulence associated with Paulo’s world, which is a sharp contrast to the place being described in the paragraph. It describes the frustration experienced by Emiko as she goes through the rough moments of her life. When the author refers to her cognitive thinking by stating how Emiko reminisced Japan, which is specifically the only time she had felt content with herself (Bacigalupi, 2015). It means Paulo’s world alternates between two distinctive geographical settings, where one of these locales was near a large body of water, most likely, an ocean. The contrast is further exacerbated by change, where the marine creatures imprisoned in aquariums are no different from individuals, imprisoned in their identities such that they cannot return home even if they wanted, principally due to lack of financial means in Emiko’s present locale.
The dangan fish change color, emphasizing the theme of change that is reiterated all along the development of the story. These clues indicate that the character was having a hard time coping with change, especially through forms that downgrade from the previous experiences or situations. The lines also illustrate a hint of adaptation, where the character spent hours comfortably resting and meditating in between bunkers, which is the same experience that she would have enjoyed in her abode. It is also worth noting that the lines also give a glimpse of the influence of technology, hinted by the evidence of her apartment kitted with climate control fixtures and fittings. Such equipment artificially creates a favorable environment for recreation, changing the reality of the hot weather outside into fiction in the form of cool breeze indoors.
The author has omitted information regarding the social well-being of the character. It is apparent that she felt content with material things instead of family and friends, who are conspicuously missing from her reverie. This environment is easily imprinted in the reader’s mind, especially with the infusion of imagery and color, which are understood by all segments of the population, even children can understand picture blue streaks.
- Bacigalupi, P. (2015). The windup girl. Simon and Schuster. Pp.162.
