Paradise of Loneliness
Deane recalls, “IT WAS a fierce winter, that year (1947). The snow covered the air-raid shelters. At night, from the stair window, the field was a white paradise of loneliness.” The emblematic paradise accentuates the pervasive solitude which is attributed to the wintry ambiance.
Animal
Deane reports, “Dan Said that someone he knew had seen the Chicago fire and had said it leapt across the river like an animal, and that the water steamed up.” The allegorical animal emphasizes the rapidity of the Chicago fire which Deane learns about from the stories he perceives. The figurative leaping confounds the course of restraining the fire.
