Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Response #3 (for 9/12)

Our discussion on the relevance of The Enchanter as a title made me see the scene I referenced in my last blog post in yet another light. To quote a different part of the moment:

"'Be quiet, it's nothing bad, it's just a kind of game, it happens sometimes, just be quiet,' he implored, middle-aged and sweaty, covering himself with a raincoat he had glimpsed in passing, shuddering, missing the armhole."

It isn't difficult to see how this is an extremely disenchanting moment, even before the sentence is picked apart at all. The protagonist is frantic and commanding, not to mention "sweaty," and impressing his conquest, in this moment, could not be farther from his mind. His self-believed position of Enchanter is no longer secure in any way.

This is emphasized by his use of the raincoat. Raincoats are protective devices by nature, as is the "enchanting" personality this man has used throughout the novel to hide his intentions from others and hold on to the young girl. In this scene, the raincoat isn't quite working with him, and he's struggling into it. In every sense of the word, the protagonist is no longer protected.

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