What Are The Similarities Between Scorliotti And The Sinkhole

In “Scarliotti and the Sinkhole” by Padgett Powell, we are introduce to an egocentric and often crude man, who while recovering from an accident, is convinced that his trailer home is in danger of being consumed by a giant sinkhole. The main character Rod has contrived an alter-ego by the name of “Scarliotti”. Scarliotti and Rod are polar opposites of each other. In the main character’s mind, Rod is a “joke”, but Scarliotti is cool and is a man who can be respected. Rod often fantasizes about what it would be like to live in the sinkhole. The main character does not languish in despair at the thought of being swallowed whole by the earth beneath him; instead he playfully ponders all the possibilities of what life would be like, once he is living in the ground. The persona Scarliotti and the sinkhole have one fundamental similarity; they are both …show more content…
His constant drinking is also another form of escape for the main character. The man lives in an almost endless state of fantasies and daydreams. The secret life of Scarliotti! From creating a refined personage, to becoming a quarter millionaire “pert”, to walking around naked in a giant gaping sinkhole. The sinkhole takes on a nonchalant tone. The story reads “he was imagining life in the hole – how cool? how dark? how wet? Bats or blind catfish? The most positive speculation he could come up with was it was going to save on air conditioning, then maybe clothes”. He speaks of it as one would do when contemplating a casual trip. The story also states “the sinkhole was the kind of thing he realized that other people had when they had Jesus. He didn’t need Jesus. He had a hole, and it was a purer thing than a man”. This line shows that the main character views the sink hole as a form of salvation. Just as Jesus is believed to offer deliverance, the sinkhole offers Rod deliverance from the despair of his troubles and