Symbol/Mood/Suspense

O’Brien’s writing style is decadent like Dove chocolate (sorry, I’m hungry). Throughout chapter four I was curious as if he really would escape into Canada. At the ultimate climax of the chapter, O’Brien writes, “I can still feel that tightness. And I want you to feel it-“(pg 54, O’Brien). That line exemplifies how powerful his writing style is. When I finished the chapter I truly could feel the tightness in my chest as he described the hallucination of all the people watching, judging. The rhetorical questions asked not only make multiple statements, but also ask me if I could give up everything. It was a choice I could never imagine, leaving my home, family, and facing possible death. O’Brien asked for emotion and he achieved it. I could feel the chills as I finished the chapter. The mood and the suspense, all thrown together as one create a chapter capable of so many emotions. And to think, it was Elroy who saved him from disgrace. This wise, older figure, which through his few words acted as O’Brien’s epiphany is also a symbol of hope, change and represents all the past American soldiers and veterans. He reminds me of that insert of the hero cycle. The exact present idea O’Brien flees from.