Numbers are simply just that, numbers; no emotion, no morals, no empathy. In multiple cases Edgar removes himself from various situations to avoid emotional connection with his surroundings through quantifying his experiences. For starters, Edgar quantifies the women around him, objectifying them by placing only white women on a scale to then pursue “the tenth most attractive white woman at any gathering” (37-38). By quantifying the women around him, Edgar removes any human connection and treats the situation merely like a game, to only “play ball [with his] equals” (38). Ultimately, Edgar lacks to form any human connection to those around him, hiding behind numbers rather than experiencing events Especially during his marriage, Edgar “counted
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Although there is a apparent lack of empathy from the situation revolving around the death of his son, there is a subtle change in Edgar’s descriptions. Once Edgar announced the death of his son, his descriptions turn from quantitative to qualitative. Firstly, Edgar notes that his child “weighed eight pounds, seven ounces, and was twenty-two inches long,” (46), a qualitative analysis of the situation, a common ground that Edgar is used to. Despite the clear lack of emotion, the description of his son suddenly turns qualitative, “A big baby. His hair was black and his eyes were a strange grey” (46). Not only does this show a pivot in his usual ways of dealing with emotion, but shows that he didn’t hide from this event, he experienced it. His qualitative analysis differs from his usual prior quantitative analyses as a qualitative description forces you to see what is happening and to understand your surroundings. It is also important to note that after his retelling of his son’s death, it is one of the last times Edgar provides a quantitative viewpoint of his surroundings. For this reason, the death of his son is possibly the beginning of change for Edgar. Secondly, after the epiphany during sex with his wife, Edgar actively goes to a place where he feels he can connect with Indians. During this moment, Edgar clearly displays his complete disconnect with himself and his culture by
Although there is a apparent lack of empathy from the situation revolving around the death of his son, there is a subtle change in Edgar’s descriptions. Once Edgar announced the death of his son, his descriptions turn from quantitative to qualitative. Firstly, Edgar notes that his child “weighed eight pounds, seven ounces, and was twenty-two inches long,” (46), a qualitative analysis of the situation, a common ground that Edgar is used to. Despite the clear lack of emotion, the description of his son suddenly turns qualitative, “A big baby. His hair was black and his eyes were a strange grey” (46). Not only does this show a pivot in his usual ways of dealing with emotion, but shows that he didn’t hide from this event, he experienced it. His qualitative analysis differs from his usual prior quantitative analyses as a qualitative description forces you to see what is happening and to understand your surroundings. It is also important to note that after his retelling of his son’s death, it is one of the last times Edgar provides a quantitative viewpoint of his surroundings. For this reason, the death of his son is possibly the beginning of change for Edgar. Secondly, after the epiphany during sex with his wife, Edgar actively goes to a place where he feels he can connect with Indians. During this moment, Edgar clearly displays his complete disconnect with himself and his culture by