Emilio Sandoz The Sparrow

A textual echo is something in a text that is repeated again later on, whether or not the author intends for this to happen. One thing that is repeated a lot in The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is when Emilio Sandoz takes time to look around on his surroundings and reflect on where he is, not only physically but mentally as well. “Emilio stopped to talk to people along the narrow walkways, lingering in terraces, admiring a toddler’s new skill or flattering a youngster with a question that allowed the child to show off some new competence, accepting small bits of food or a sip of something sweet as he made his way home.” (page 156) This is comparable to earlier when Russell wrote, “suburban campus of John Carroll University, set in the placid peace of a pretty neighborhood of old and well-kept houses, where the children screamed and ran but in play, laughing and robust, not stunned or desperate or starving or terrified. He was amazed at how shocking the children were to him. The gardens also startled

In the first it is Emilio’s seventh week on Rakhat and in the second it is his first day back in the United States after returning from the Horn of Africa. He states in the passage that the change was very disorienting, because of the jet-lag and culture shock and also says, “He might have wished for a few days off but arrangements had already been made.” (page 33) This contributes to why Emilio has to try and take everything in. These are both very large changes and very big culture shocks. Even after spending seven weeks on Rakhat Emilio has not had enough time to take everything in. Just seven weeks on a new planet, in an entirely different part of the galaxy, is not enough time to take everything in especially when you include meeting an entirely different form of life. It would make sense that Emilio would want to take a second to look around and take everything in that he can in both