The Necessary Grace to Fall Style

The Necessary Grace to Fall Style

Imagery of the Human Body

The story contains much imagery of the human body in its different forms. Leonard's muscular physique is emphasized, as is the physical presence of the corpse of Svea Johnson. But the main examples are in reference to Howard. Unlike Leonard, who is extremely comfortable inside his own skin, Howard is frequently aware of unusual and sometimes disturbing sensations in his body. At one point he feels a strange sensation in his chest, like he is “gulping sky”; another time he feels “an itch in [his] arteries.” Several times he has an expansive feeling, as if there is an empty space inside his chest: “Howard's shoulders slumped and he could feel a space widening inside his rib cage.” Sometimes this space seems to get wider, and it pushes at his lungs. These images suggest Howard's discomfort with the limitations of the physical body and his desire to escape its confines, either...
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