Mirror - “Hobbledehoydom”
Martinez writes, “Finding a mirror in Trollope’s world pleased me to no end, but it did not happen right away, nor did it keep me from fucking up royally, over and over again, as I pinballed between schools, skipped classes, and fooled myself into thinking I was cooler than I was.” Equating Trollope to a mirror indicates that his works are a perfect reflection of Martinez’s life. Martinez identifies with the characters in Trollope’s books.
“Burning Coal” - “Forsaken, The Crew Awaited News From The People Below”
Martinez explicates, “Forsaken, the crew awaited news from the people below... They leaned into it (the device), their ears pressed against the auricular, and heard nothing. Stomachs rumbled—Robert mistook the rumbling for the burning of coal.” “The burning coal” emphasizes the intensity of the rumbling sound. The stomachs sound as if they are burning due to anger. All the crew can hear the entire rumbling because it is utterly loud.
Haunt - “After The End Of The World: A Capsule Review”
Martinez describes, “Enterprise Carolina will still haunt the streets of Culver City — she will march under the yellow and red backlit signs of Indian, Thai, and Cuban restaurants, and she will walk to Sony Studios and make obscene gestures at the movie ads.” Haunting denotes the pervasiveness of enterprises throughout Culver City. Various kinds of business entities are anticipated to launch operations in the city for it is a viable ground for enterprises to flourish.
“Cotton-Candy Idealism” - “After The End Of The World: A Capsule Review”
Martinez writes, "Should we not be stepping away from this queasy mixture of hard-edged grit and cotton-candy idealism?" The candy denotes exaggerated romanticism which governs the contemporary world by fostering consumerism. Martinez encourages individuals to avoid idealism because it is embellishment and far from reality.
Fruit - “Hobbledehoydom”
Trollope writes, “When I compare the hobbledehoy of one or two and twenty to some finished Apollo of the same age, I regard the former as unripe fruit, and the latter as fruit that is ripe.” Trollope likens the hobbledehoys to 'unripe fruits' due to their unique personalities which make them unorthodox. Apollos are emblematic of young men who do not find it difficult to socialize with women. Unlike the hobbledehoys, Apollos are outgoing and who exhibit their masculinity through conquering of women. Trollope alludes to Greek mythology in the utilization of the term Apollo which underscores the allure of such class of men (who are the opposite of hobbledehoys).
