The Travelling Night By Kirsten Raymonden By Emily Mandel
Between sequence one to two, the significance of Kirsten Raymonde’s character dramatically increases. In sequence one, Kirsten is one of the few main characters the reader is initially introduced to. She has no ownership of the first sequence and her role is a way for Emily Mandel to convey to the audience the importance of imagery. Similar to snow and light, the glass paperweight given to Kirsten by Tanya, acts as a connecting component between the world before and after the pandemic. Towards the end of sequence two, Mandel mentions the glass paperweight once again. In Kirsten’s collection of objects of the past, the paperweight is, “nothing but dead weight in the bag but she found it beautiful” (66). Kirsten’s view of the paperweight symbolizes
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Sequence two of novels and screenplays acts as a precursor to act two where the central characters connections to the main conflict unfold. Section two of Station Eleven commences with the Travelling Symphony in the midst of a heatwave. The excruciating heat sets up the tension which persists throughout the entirety of sequence two. In addition to the heatwave, Mandel further emphasizes the upsetting state of the Travelling Symphony as she dedicates two pages of chapter ten to the troupe’s inner issues. Each member has their own resentment towards another. For instance, Mandel states that “ the third cello had been waging a war of attrition with Dieter for some months,” and Dieter,”harbour[s] considerable resentment towards the second horn, because of something she’d once said about his acting” (47). Whether it be the proximity to each other or the unfortunate circumstances, the troupe continues to face challenges with each other. Apart from their own issues with other members, the troupe, itself, begins to decrease in number as people leave or pass away. When the audience begins to believe that the circumstances could not get any worse, Mandel introduces the antagonist, the prophet. The eerie actions of the prophet such as creating grave markers for the spiritually dead and “hold[ing] funerals for them” act as an indicator for the reader to understand that the prophet will be the cause of the main conflict (62). The use of climactic ordering establishes the setting of the rest of Kirsten’s
Sequence two of novels and screenplays acts as a precursor to act two where the central characters connections to the main conflict unfold. Section two of Station Eleven commences with the Travelling Symphony in the midst of a heatwave. The excruciating heat sets up the tension which persists throughout the entirety of sequence two. In addition to the heatwave, Mandel further emphasizes the upsetting state of the Travelling Symphony as she dedicates two pages of chapter ten to the troupe’s inner issues. Each member has their own resentment towards another. For instance, Mandel states that “ the third cello had been waging a war of attrition with Dieter for some months,” and Dieter,”harbour[s] considerable resentment towards the second horn, because of something she’d once said about his acting” (47). Whether it be the proximity to each other or the unfortunate circumstances, the troupe continues to face challenges with each other. Apart from their own issues with other members, the troupe, itself, begins to decrease in number as people leave or pass away. When the audience begins to believe that the circumstances could not get any worse, Mandel introduces the antagonist, the prophet. The eerie actions of the prophet such as creating grave markers for the spiritually dead and “hold[ing] funerals for them” act as an indicator for the reader to understand that the prophet will be the cause of the main conflict (62). The use of climactic ordering establishes the setting of the rest of Kirsten’s