Close Reading

“He said nothing. His face betrayed no emotion but his eyes were calmer than they once were, older. I thought about tearing that thick scar from his face. I thought about what I might find beneath the dead braid of tissue. I stared at the scar and it hissed. I was calm and then I was not. I was crazy. I was all the crazy held in my bones for five years. I pounded his chest with my fists and he didn’t resist. He didn’t try to defend himself. He stood still, his arms hanging loosely at his side while his cigarette burned. He let me bruise his body and break the blood beneath his skin. The din of the kitchen grew quieter. My arms were tired so tired but I was wild with rage and nothing would stop me. I would break his skin and break his bones beneath the hot Miami sun. I would leave his carcass on the pavement. I would” (Gay 359).

The main focus of Roxane Gay’s, An Untamed State, is on Mireille's kidnapping and the effect that it has in retrospect to the rest of her life. Roxane Gay brings the reader's attention to this part of the story in different ways, particularly through her use of literary devices. Mireille encounters the Commander at a restaurant in Miami years after her kidnapping. Gay uses irony, anaphora and syntax to show Mireille's thoughts at the time of the encounter and how the thoughts are influenced by her past. By incorporating these literary devices, the reader has more ways to analyze the story; therefore, the reader can more easily comprehend the messages that Gay tries to convey.

Gay implements the use of irony to highlight and to spotlight the interaction juxtaposed with Mirielle’s past. By placing the Commander in the same position that Mireille familiarized herself with during her captivity, she builds up her strength to finally fight back against him. During those past thirteen days, Mireille unwillingly serves the Commander, giving in to his every desire. However, years later, he waiters Mireille's table in Miami, he gives in to her attack and lets her do what she wants to him by "pound[ing] his chest with [her] fist and he didn't resist. He didn't try to defend himself... He let [her] bruise his body and break the blood beneath his skin" (Gay 359). The Commander knows that he could not have done anything in that situation to defend himself, just as Mireille eventually gives in to him before. The tables have turned. After years of desperately trying to force the memories of her kidnapping out of her mind, something that has both mentally and physically harmed her, the memories come back to haunt her in an unexpected way. Mireille has become so accustomed to living in the shadow of her abuse that she is confused by the shift in power and is almost unsure of how to react. She truly defends herself, which allows her to cope even more.

Anaphora is used by Gay to emphasize the scene and to show the importance of Mirielle’s encounter with the Commander--now, Laurent Charles. When Mireille follows the Commander out the back of the restaurant and into the alley, her thoughts reflect the importance of the relationship between her and the Commander within the novel: "I thought about tearing that thick scar from his face. I thought about what I might find beneath the dead braid of tissue... I stared at the scar and it hissed... He didn't try to defend himself. He stood still, his arms hanging... He let me bruise his body" (359). The repetition of "I" and "He" at the beginning of many of the sentences in this passage makes the reader focus solely on Mireille and the Commander, showing just how central this relationship is to the story. For Mireille, nothing else is as important in that moment except for her and the Commander. The effect that the kidnapping had on her is emphasized. Even years after the incident, Mireille still allows her thoughts to be completely engulfed by the Commander. There is nothing that would ever free of her of the leash that binds her to the commander and the shackles that constrict her thoughts.

The variation of syntax and the implementation of brief, simple sentences reflects back to Mirielle’s time in captivity and her mental state during that time. In general, her thoughts after being released from the Commander, the time that she commonly refers to as "the after," are short and often times have little logic in them. Mirielle’s thoughts fall into the same category, just as they did before. Mireille's reflection on her reaction to her encounter with the Commander demonstrate her bipolarity and confusion with the situation: "I was calm. I was crazy. I was all the crazy held in my bones for 5 years" (359). The short, quick thoughts result from the the PTSD she experiences. "The cage," the mental and physical constraint that Mireille felt trapped by due to the traumatic events of her past, creeps up again. There are several instances in the book where she said she could feel this cage closing in on her, which give her little room to think and speak, resulting in her short and jumbled thoughts. This moment represents the instances collectively as well as show the hard work and dedication it has taken Mirielle to overcome this obstacle.

The implementation of these three literary devices--irony, anaphora, syntax--enhance the reader’s understanding of Mirielle’s kidnapping and its effect throughout her life. Through these devices, Roxane Gay allows for a better interpretation of her novel, shaping it in more interesting and complex ways. The theme of the novel is woven through this scene. The theme, that humans are made to overcome adversity, separates humans from other animals. One’s ability to think rationally and derive complex ideas from the world sparks one’s humanity. Mirielle slowly gains this humanity and loses her animal instincts as she overcomes the Commander and stands up to him physically and mentally.

(Source: Gay, Roxane. An Untamed State. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.)