Vanishing Acts IV

Just for practice, I am going to analyze a passage from my outside reading book, Vanishing Acts, using the TWIST method.

"The three of us walk outside, where it is still cold enough for the promises we are making to crystallize in the air. Eric heads to my car and tucks Delia into the passenger seat, leaning close to speak to her for a moment out of my range of hearing. I imagine him telling her that he loves her, that he will miss her, that when he closes his eyes on the plane her face will be what rises inside of him--all the things I would be saying to her, in his place" (Picoult 68)

Tone: longing, jealousy, regretfull

Word Choice: Picoult's word choice helps reveal Fitz's true feelings kept secretly hidden from his friends. Words and phrases like, "leaning close", "imagine", "rises inside of him", "would", and "in his place". The use of the word "imagine" hints to readers that, for Fitz, being able to say these things to Delia is only a dream, a secret longing to have what Eric has. Also, the use of the word "tucks" brings on a comforting feeling, it reassures the reader that everything will be okay.

Imagery: The first sentence depicts how cold it is outside using language like "cold" and "crystallize", so that the reader can easily feel the setting and relate to it. Other phrases like "leaning close" and "tucks delia into the passsenger seat" are very straight-forward and give a clear picture of the characters' actions.

Style: Picoult uses a very common style of writing. She is very straight-forward, yet descriptive. She uses a lot of irony to make her stories unpredictable, and really develops her characters and what they are feeling. She makes her characters relateable to her audience.

Thematic Ideas: regret, confusion, love