“And it was then, listening, that they would feel the trapdoor open, and they’d be falling into that emptiness where all the dreams used to be. They tried to hide it, though…”
“an enormous white mountain he had been climbing all his life, and now he watched it come rushing down on him, all that disgrace”
John’s mother was quoted saying “But sometimes I feel like his father made him feel-oh, made him feel-oh-maybe overweight”
Anthony L. Carbo was quoted saying “He didn’t talk much. Even his wife, I don’t think she knew the first damn thing about…well, about any of it. That man just kept everything buried.
Richard Thinbill, in a testimony stated, “We called him Sorcerer. It was a nickname”.
“When his father died…”
“And so sometimes he’d make dates with her, and then cancel, and then wait to see
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It acts as barrier to self-reinvention, something many want to happen quickly.
Theme: This further exemplifies the separation in John marriage, as he doesn’t even feel comfortable sharing thoughts with his long time wife.
Theme: This quote begins to explore John’s lifelong trauma which lead to the many difficulties in his life. He deals with the trauma by repressing memories, and attempting to wipe some completely from his memory.
Symbol: John’s enjoyment of magic symbolizes his desire to be loved by others, and his enjoyment of manipulation, and an escape. In Vietnam, John begins to become a hit with the company for his magic, something which he enjoys because the troops love him.
Motif: Disappearance is a major motif in the novel, happening throughout all stages of John’s life.
Characterization: John is a very intrusive person, and very good at manipulating people. He has underlining trust issues that reflect in his daily life.
Motif: Kathy has a history of disappearance, which hurts her later in the novel, when John fails to recognize she was