Fire has been used as a symbol of destruction by Butler throughout the novel. Arsonists rage throughout the cities addicted to pyro, a drug that makes people want to burn everything in sight. This is a powerful symbol that I believe Butler uses because it is a natural element being used by humans for demolition and destruction. Lauren's neighborhood has just been burned down, leading to her fleeing with Zahra and Harry. Do you guys find any other meanings behind this use of fire in the novel?
As the novel progresses, we are learning more and more about Lauren's neighborhood. Certain social dynamics are revealed that were previously hidden, which I find very interesting. There are outcasts of the neighborhood in the Dunn family, who Lauren claims are commonly known as crazy. We learn this because of the fire that Amy Dunn causes, highlighting her destructive presence. Elsewhere, Mrs. Sims' cousins have inherited her house after her suicide. They are suspicious that people robbed the house when it was empty and generally don't trust anyone despite Lauren's father's claims. This leads to Lauren disliking them, which I'm sure will lead to problems in the future. The moment anyone remotely malicious entered the neighborhood, tense conflicts arise.
Someone pointed out that this book directly references climate change, so there's a sort of parallel in terms of people on pyro while the world burns. I hadn't thought of that! Plus there's also the phoenix-arising-from-ashes metaphor, which is apt.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on these blog posts -- you've given me a lot to think about!