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Breakable You
by Brian Morton
A Close Read
A review by Christina Schwarz
It was clear that his sense of his own worth had ballooned since they
had seen him last. His movements were slower and more rounded, and
there was a new quality of ripeness in his way of speaking, as if he
were listening to himself through headphones. He was trying on the part
of the distinguished man.
-- from Breakable You, by Brian Morton
Morton, like the character from whose point of view this passage is
written, recognizes that meaning is expressed mostly through
subtleties -- choice of words, tone of voice, posture -- rather
than grand speeches and gestures. The verb ballooned is
inspired, suggesting, as it does, puffed-up-ness and hot air; after
all, it's not the man's worth that has expanded, but merely
his sense of that worth (at least in the eyes of his observer). Morton
milks significance from the finest of perceptions: the
"slower," "rounded" movements and the
"ripeness" of speech. Rounded is also visually linked to ballooned and aurally, through alliteration, to ripeness,
so the general observation of the first sentence and the specific
details that follow work gracefully together, beyond the level of
meaning. Morton is especially skilled with subtle humor: the image of
someone "listening to himself through headphones" nails the
ridiculous pomposity of a man who is not distinguished, but is merely
"trying on the part."
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