Alton stepped forward with the line as an obedient pet is trained. He has no idea of the time he has spent standing in line, just as he has no idea of how long he was underground. The movement of the line, in contrast, sweeps by like a hummingbird in comparison to the time spent in the bunker.
Is this anxiety, he thinks? His heart is beating faster, his mouth becomes slightly dry, and the walls of the corridor appear to lose their shape and depth. Can this line be leading to something horrible, like pain, or death, or independence?
A man who spent his youth listening to his parents and their desires for his outcome; a man who spent his early adulthood listening to magazines, television, and advertisements as to what makes a man successful and happy; a man, who was not completely molded, falls to the whims of his government and the propaganda machine he views as his guiding light; a man who gladly accepted refuge from a war he didn’t completely understand, because he hadn’t been told how to handle the will of either side; a man who had never stepped without being told where, when, and why his foot would fall is a man who has many fears, and none so great as freedom of choice. …show more content…
I’m following the line they want me in, they won’t abandon me, he says to himself, over and over, unaware of the line moving in front of him, merely allowing himself to be directed.
Alton’s thoughts poured over his bravado in the face of authority, unaware of the bend in his stance as those he faced flexed and exerted their power over his posturing. Like an addict, he finds strength in his recollections of his engagements, a drug of self-assertation. Slowly, his breathing returns to normal, his vision clears and sharpens, the hallway regains its structure and
Is this anxiety, he thinks? His heart is beating faster, his mouth becomes slightly dry, and the walls of the corridor appear to lose their shape and depth. Can this line be leading to something horrible, like pain, or death, or independence?
A man who spent his youth listening to his parents and their desires for his outcome; a man who spent his early adulthood listening to magazines, television, and advertisements as to what makes a man successful and happy; a man, who was not completely molded, falls to the whims of his government and the propaganda machine he views as his guiding light; a man who gladly accepted refuge from a war he didn’t completely understand, because he hadn’t been told how to handle the will of either side; a man who had never stepped without being told where, when, and why his foot would fall is a man who has many fears, and none so great as freedom of choice. …show more content…
I’m following the line they want me in, they won’t abandon me, he says to himself, over and over, unaware of the line moving in front of him, merely allowing himself to be directed.
Alton’s thoughts poured over his bravado in the face of authority, unaware of the bend in his stance as those he faced flexed and exerted their power over his posturing. Like an addict, he finds strength in his recollections of his engagements, a drug of self-assertation. Slowly, his breathing returns to normal, his vision clears and sharpens, the hallway regains its structure and