Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Page 44, Paragraph 9; Page 45, Paragraphs 1 and 2 ***SPOILER ALERT!***

***SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the end of "Hob's Hog" yet, you probably won't want to read this post, as part of the ending of the chapter is revealed. Don't say I didn't warn you.***

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Page 44, Paragraph 9:

Arm around my neck. Man-smell. Hot skin. His arm is strong on my neck; his belly is against my back. I can't breathe. I can't speak. I'm scared. I'm scared, and I can smell the man, and smell [?] his hot penis. My feet are off the ground. The girl looks deeply into my eyes. His big arm hurts with a hard pain and keeps me from breathing (oh Mother) and now something comes, bright and quick, and makes a little cold sensation on my neck, followed by a big sensation of warmth.

Page 45, Paragraph 1 (first full paragraph):

I think the man has thrown warm water down my belly to make me wet, but I don't understand how. I move this way, now that way, but oh! It's no help, and more warm liquid falls on my belly and all the strength goes out from me. His arm moves away from my throat so I can take a breath, and arms comes below my back and my ass to lift me. I'm lying now in his strong arms. I look up, and eyes, all white, look down upon me, but there's no face. Now below the eyes comes another white shape. Teeth. Hob is smiling.

Paragraph 2:

Oh, he found us. He knows we're planning to leave. I turn my head to look at the girl, so I can tell her to run, but a bad taste comes into my mouth so I can't say anything - I can only spit. She doesn't look frightened, nor does she look like she's going to run away. She doesn't move, and her face is expressionless. Now Hob walks with me in his arms. All my strength goes from me, like I'm sick. I can't get away. The girl stands there so she can quietly follow Hob and I. I smell flowers. I smell man. I smell blood.

3 comments:

  1. I think for page 45 paragraph one, he's actually indicating that he's pissed himself. - johnny c

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  2. Hey, johnny c - thanks for commenting.

    Actually, I'm pretty sure he's talking about Hob cutting his throat & the blood running down the front of him - "now is a thing come bright and quick and make a little cold on neck of I, where is big warm now come" (from the preceding paragraph) pretty strongly indicates (to me) that the Hob has cut the narrator's neck, probably with some sort of stone blade, and he's bleeding a lot, which would give him a sensation of warmth. Also note that the next sentence reads "Glean I man is cast warm water down I's BELLY [my emphasis] to make I wet". If he had pissed himself, he probably would have said "leg" or "legs" instead of "belly".

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  3. Ah, thank you, I get it. Makes a lot more sense now! - johnny c

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