Maiden Voyage Denton Welch Summary

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In the late 1930’s, trips made by wealthy Europeans to foreign countries became exceedingly popular. The given unseen passage is an extract from Maiden Voyage written by Denton Welch. The passage displays a well-off Western boy staying in an extravagant villa in China. Even though the boy has been advised to stay inside by his butler, he disobeys and secretly explores the country surrounding the villa. As he is casually walking around, a glimpse of a dark spot catches his eye. To his horror, the young man realizes it is a human head, causing him to desperately run away from the frightful sight. The author exploits the themes of monotony and dread through rich diction, emphasizing on the use of colors. The passage commences with the protagonist being informed that foreigners are not …show more content…

The boy was trying to lift his spirit by doing an activity so he would not feel trapped inside the villa; however, the heat took over his body and eventually he had to stop playing tennis with no progress in a gleeful game. Moths are known to lack color and only contain a dead-brown hue. Just like the old tennis racket, everything surrounding the boy seems dead. This foreshadows that something frightful may happen in the near future. Also, there is a lack of interest in anything the boy does since his mind is only set on exploring the outside world. The reader wonders what is so bad about the villa that makes the boy want to disregard everything else. Is the boy perhaps just a spoiled brat who is not given what he wants? Is the villa some sort of royal prison? The reader is left with questions yet the only thing given is an uneventful depiction of the boy’s life. However, the first event that may spark the reader’s interest is when the boy decides to disobey his butler and to go outside of the villa. The countryside is explained as though it is a