“Strange in the city to lie prone as if in a meadow along a line of sky, and feel each other near just as flesh as warmth as some kind of reaching into each other, on the other side of accidents and tearing apart and beating and collision and running into each other and blaming.”
I chose this quote because it created such a vivid image in my head. Along with that, I didn’t fully understand what every part of the sentence was trying to portray. I hadn’t experienced that before, such a strange combination of clarity and confusion.
Typically, sentences begin with words like “the,” “then,” or a pronoun. Meridel Le Sueur instantly intrigues the reader with an adjective. It wasn’t just another sentence in a novel; I immediately wanted to know “what is strange?”
The addition of the phrase “in the city” is necessary to prepare for the metaphor Le Sueur is about to reveal. It helps the reader recognize the drastic opposition between what she usually feels and what she is feeling at that moment.
“Meadow along a line of sky” creates an incredible image of relaxation. With this description and the use of the word "prone," I was able to imagine the main character lying almost in parallel with the sky. Also, there is nothing more calming than a clear image of nature. Instead of saying something like “a sunset on the horizon” she uses generalized terms so the reader can create their own soothing getaway.
Le Sueur continues on to explain the feeling of lying with a lover. Her descriptive words of “flesh,” “warmth,” and “reaching” make the reader feel those emotions, something simple, but so miraculous. “Reaching into each other” makes the reader feel connected with her lover.
She then explains the stress that she usually feels, from the bustle of the city. Her list format makes the reader feel more sympathy with every adjective or verb addition, splitting each one up with the repetition of "and." The city becomes more dirty, crowded, and ugly as she goes on. By placing “blaming” at the end, the reader can relate to the previous stories of her father blaming her and her family, leaving a strong image. This encompasses one of the main themes in the book, of incorrect blame and accusations being placed on females simply because of gender.
In the end, Le Sueur manages to present a glimmer of light and happiness beneath her cruel description of the city. Her impressive diction leads to a descriptive contrast.
That line is full of imagery like few others in Le Sueur's book. Her writing style often uses sentence structure, punctuation and a stream of conscious approach to set the tone of a passage. This line was intended to make a stark break from what came before and after it. I like your interpretation and the attention you paid to details in all parts of the sentence instead of simply taking it as a whole.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you think she meant when talking about "the other side of accidents"?