"The cedar swamp was an ancient place. No logging had ever been done here. The ground wasn't suitable for houses. The trees had been alive for hundreds of years and when they fell over, they fell over for good. here in the cedar swamp verticality wasn't an essential property of trees. Many cedars were standing straight up but many were leaning over. Still others had fallen against nearby trees, or crashed to the ground, popping up root systems. There was a graveyard feeling: everywhere the gray skeletons of trees. The moonlight filtering in lit up silver puddles and sprays of cobweb. It glanced off the objects red hair as she moved and darted ahead of me."
Page 369, Chapter 9, Book 3
This excerpt is a description of the setting of the chapter. The tone of the author is almost Gothic, reminiscent of Dracula in its description of broken-up moonlight and shadows. The author even outright states that "There was a graveyard feeling", and describes skeletons of trees and cobwebs, leading almost forcefully to a mood of suspense. The swamp is described as ancient, leading back to the narrators Grecian theme of fate preordained far in the past. The crookedness of the trees symbolize the lack of surety inherent in the future, foreshadowing the use of drugs and Callie's lack of surety in what she is. Finally, the one aspect of color in this scene, the Objects hair, is thrown into sharp relief in the moonlight, pinpointing the narrators fixation on her, as well as her incapability of attaining her as she is described as moving and darting, uncatchable.
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