Outside Reading, Week 6, Post A

Vocab
enmity (171) : a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred

maudlin (203) : tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental

Figurative Language
"No sooner had Lamb stepped out to summon help on his telephone, than a polished man emerged from the club's twilight like a lily breaking the surface of a lake" (165).

Pierre describes Truman, the new American CEO, as a sort of arrogant brute who completely messes up the Heath's current situation. In this passage, he uses a simile to compare the way Truman intervenes into the Heath's life to "a lily breaking the surface of a lake". This gives the reader a good visual image, as Truman, like a lily, seems to be not a big deal at first, but causes huge changes over time.

"Ludmila huddled in the station's shadows. Her pupils swam after the light on the back of the Kropotkin train as it swayed into the mist" (194).

In this excerpt, Pierre uses personification to allow Ludmila's pupils to swim. Obviously, they cannot, but it allows the reader to picture Ludmila's expression and feelings at this time. One can almost see her chasing after the train car with her eyes, as it was her last chance to succeed.

"The the weight and colour of their mood became clear. The moment was as breathtaking, as intimate, as the moment a jungle butterfly emerges for its fortnight of sweet life" (199).

In this passage, Pierre uses a simile to compare the intimacy of the moment that Blair and Bunny leave the dance club to the intimacy of "the moment a jungle butterfly emerges for its fortnight of sweet life". It seems that this was done primarily for comedic effect, as Blair is big fan of the Discovery Channel and the obscurity of the allusion made sounds like something from the Discovery Channel.

Quote
"Blair's eyes hit the last word of the letter and stopped, hanging glazed for some moments. Then he lowered the page and took his brother into his arms, sniffing softly on to his shoulder. Bunny sniffled in return, and brought a hand to Blair's back". (203)

This quote really defines the evolution of Blair and Bunny's relationship. As a reader, we are able to see it progress from the beginning of the book to it's current state, as well as all the little ups and downs in between. In this quote, we are able to see Blair and Bunny fully embrace each other as brothers, which is something they have never been able to do before. It also echoes back to the theme a little bit, as Blair is finally coming back to this family.

Theme
The theme hasn't really changed much since last time. Blair is still realizing the theme and is coming to terms with his brother and his family. Ludmila, on the other hand, is still a little delusional. She continues to believe that she will make it without her family and is making one last effort for her independence on a mail order bride website.