7/31/2019 Close Reading Rock Springs

1/5

Genre connections right

from the opening -

wanderers, figures on the

fringe of society.

Earl: a criminal and

single father

Edna: a divorcee with a

violent ex-husband

Immediate complexity within the figure of Earl

- he is a criminal, but knows he needs to give

his daughter a better shake in things. What

defines Earl, his intentions or his actions? An

Existential view would say his actions define

him.

There is a certain flux/chaos and sadness to the line just beached by the same tides when you

got down to it. Its a beautiful metaphor, but sets up the sombre mood, not what we expect from

a relationship. The situation is accidental. Further, a beaching is a tragic event, it suggests loss:

loss of control, loss of freedom. It suggests that Earl has no control over his life - connects to

that loss of purpose, without which we reach a stopping point because we have nothing driving

us forward.

Who is speaking? First person, past tense.

This is a reflection. Our protagonist has

grown older and is reflecting. We should

immediately ask: why is he re-telling this

story?

7/31/2019 Close Reading Rock Springs

2/5

re they in love? We arent told how Earl

currently feels about Edna. Fits nicely into

genre, an important story element is left

unsaid.

Consider Ednas rationale for leaving. She,

like Earl seems aimless. She leaves because

she has no reason not to. Both figures clearly

lack purpose.

Ford constructs three Earls here. The

one that Danny knows, the one his

ex-wife in Waikiki Beach knows (but

how are we to trust this?), and the

one we are getting to know through

the course of this story.His identity is already plural.

Dannys position can be seen as an

example of the fundamental

unknowability of people. It also sets

up a difficulty for us - what is being

presented to us as readers? Howaccurate is Earls representation o

himself?

7/31/2019 Close Reading Rock Springs

3/5

The car becomes a symbol. The car is important to the story as a whole and will work as a

symbol of what Earl is not; as a reminder of the lie he is living. The car is a symbol of status, of

wealth, of direction, but Ford undermines that symbol and uses it instead as a symbol of

appearance with no substance.

everything seemed then like the end of

the rainbow. The wisdom of the older

speaker comes in here, it impacts on thetone. A present tense narrator would just

have said everything was like the end of

the rainbow, but this is undermined. The

choice is important because it introduces

an illusion that Earl is chasing that simply

doesnt exist.

We get a nice example of realist writing.This description is sparse. Little tinges of

imagery, but everything else is very

matter of fact - drove here, rented this,

ate ribs, drank beer, laughed. This is

important in terms of capturing the voice

of the narrator and in shaping the tone ofthe story.

7/31/2019 Close Reading Rock Springs

4/5

gain the description is very direct - barbed wire fence...hardpan prairie. Theres no

embellishment, no emotive imagery. It is stark/sparse writing. Suits the sparseness of the

landscape and continues to set the tone of the story as a whole.

Every now and again we get an insight into Earls feelings - short lines that express his general

unease. We must remember that these are his recollections, and this suggests that Earl is

coming to terms with his past. He seems to be using the story as a way of dealingwith/understanding the past.

The red light works as an ongoingsymbol. It is a really nice

representation of the reality of the

situation. If the car is to represent

Earls journey, then the light can

come to represent the going break

down of that journey. It can be readas a reminder of the instability and

uncertainty of the situation, and

again works as a marker for Earls

lack of control over his existence.

7/31/2019 Close Reading Rock Springs

5/5

There is a consistent schism (division) between Earls thoughts/attitudes and his actions. His

thoughts would see him as a success story - in control, deciding his own fate - but his actions

suggest otherwise. This tension is important to the story as a whole - this takes on a more

significant meaning when seen in light of thoughts about flux of identity. This helps us to see

that Earl represents the tension within identity caused by such flux.

The dialogue is full of half-truths

and conflicts. Earl essentially lies to

his daughter - he knows that

something is wrong. Cheryls line is

a non-sequitur (it doesnt logically

follow what came before) offeringup the notion that the person Earl

is closest to is also the person he

can communicate with the least

effectively.

Ednas dialogue is filled with veiled

insults and frustrations. Her

dialogue balances out Earls

optimism and is potentially more

potent because it is direct speech,

compared to Earls crafted

narration.