Practice Commentary

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Practice Commentary

This passage taken from Denton Welch’s Maiden Voyage, introduces the

readers to the main character (whose name is not mentioned) in a place

that is not well known to the main character. Through the use of

foreshadowing, symbolism, effective setting and characterization the

author is able to successfully display a situation where an

adolescent’s rebelliousness leads him into trouble and unexpected

events.

This passage begins with one of the characters, Mr. Butler, telling

the main character, “Foreigners are not very popular here.” This very

first line of the passage acts as a great opening sentence as it

foreshadows the horrifying event that follows and it sets up the

ominous and menacing mood of the passage. However this sentence is

written so that it is an understatement and thus even though it still

foreshadows the event that follows in a subtle way, it does not

decrease the effect of that event has on the readers. If the

foreshadowing had been made more obvious like, “Don’t go outside or

else they will kill you.” then the readers would not be so surprised

when the identity of the object found by the main character is

revealed and when the main character finds himself trapped.

The author also uses symbolism in order to reveal the identity of the

object found by the main character. It is first mentioned as a “black

speck” and because the color black is usually associated with death

and evil it catches the reader’s attention and arouses suspicion. Next

as the main character gets closer to the object he wonders, “if it

could be a cat crouching in the middle of the road,” or even a dark

boulder. By this time the readers are sure that the object being

mentioned is going to be an unusual yet scary thing because it is

being compared to a black cat (which is seen as an omen) and a boulder

(which is seen as an obstacle in ones path).

The most important aspect of this passage is its setting as through

the setting, the situation of the main character feeling imprisoned in

the villa and then becoming trapped is made to seem more

realistic and is also made easier to imagine. In the starting the

villa in which the main character is staying is said to be surrounded

by poplar trees that are tall and thin and are planted in straight

lines. This gives the readers the feeling that these trees act as

barriers between the villa and the Chinese city that lies outside and

maybe even guards the people living inside the villa from the outside

dangers. Apart from this it gives a sense of why the main character

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