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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 30
Explanation and Analysis—Panic, Half Goat:
At the beginning of Chapter 30, Jack wakes in the night in acute panic, terrified of the effects of Dylar and filled with homicidal rage toward Mr. Gray. Jack describes how his fear makes him feel small using visual imagery, while making an allusion to ancient Greek mythology:
In the dark the mind runs on like a devouring machine, the only thing awake in the universe. I tried to make out the walls, the dresser in the corner. It was the old defenseless feeling. Small, weak, deathbound, alone. Panic, the god of woods and wilderness, half goat. I moved my head to the right, remembering the clock-radio. I watched the numbers change, the progression of digital minutes, odd to even. They glowed green in the dark.
In a moment with which many readers might be familiar, Jack wakes in the night and looks around the room, feeling trapped by his racing mind. "The old defenseless feeling" makes him feel physically smaller and impotent: "Small, weak, deathbound, alone." Jack describes himself this way while in reality he is still altogether healthy; as often in the novel, his fear diminishes him into something less than human.
As part of this strange imagery bordering on hallucination, Jack refers to "Panic, the god of woods and wilderness, half goat." Jack is talking about Pan, the god of nature and wildlife, from Greek mythology. The English word "panic" originally derives from a Greek word meaning "pertaining to Pan," as it was believed that Pan's presence created mysterious sounds and smells that would startle livestock into a panic. Similarly, Jack is so anxious in this moment that he feels as if Pan, the "half goat," hovers just near him, possibly causing his panic and weakness. Then, however, Jack snaps back to his unpleasant reality and the consumer gadgets around him. The clock radio and the slow progression of time draw Jack away from his imagination and back to his real, anxious life. Before this can happen, though, the imagery and allusion show how Jack's fear of death causes him so much inner strife that he experiences panic.
Related Themes:
