McClanahan describes the harsh realities of living in New York City with using
relatable diction. In the beginning of this essay, McClanahan starts with a description
of the sounds outside of her apartment to signify the toll it takes to live in
a city that supposedly never sleeps. In her eyes, New York can be seen as beautiful, strange,
and exciting; the city is almost romanticized by the hustle and bustle of
everyday life. In “Signs and Wonder,” I often found myself relating to her
feelings about only “subletting” in life; the natural world never seems like
our own. This essay gives readers the sense that life is a process in finding
signs that are significant to the stage of life we are in. The most interesting
part of this essay is that even though she is aware of the griminess of New York , she still
stays in the city: “…it’s like first love again, first lust, and you wonder how
you could possibly live anywhere else. Then a steam pipe bursts, the couple in
the apartment above you straps their steel-toed boots back on, you step in a
puddle of urine on the subway platform and some guy with three rings in his
nose calls you Bitch and spits on you…”
This visualization of New York
shows how she is observing or being lost in her surroundings, but she is also
trying to find meaning in her life.
Digging that you're recognizing the contrast. That's really one of the best features of nonfiction writing, I think, and one of the best ways to get into that fun, mixed-up place as a writer. Let me tell you how much I love and how much I hate, the writer begins.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the "it's like first love" thing? Should she continue with that metaphor and describe New York as a mean, dumping boyfriend? Or would that be too cute?
DW