Coldness
Amelia elucidates, “The coldness inside me was complete after Harley died, and what I had left of my life, of me, I was unwilling to offer up to anyone. I drifted through the next four years as silent as a bank of snow. A February snow.” The coldness signifies her indifference towards love. Snow accentuates the coldness which establishes that Amelia is not unconditionally content with her existence. Bereavement exterminates all the elation she would have appreciated had her parents and Harley been alive.
Drugs
Amelia confirms, “See, he (Ben) had the monkey. Heroin. Morphine. Needles. I knew, of course. Everybody knew. But what a rounder chooses is what a rounder chooses, and only when that starts to affect other people badly is anything said. Most times you’d never know. He was careful, knew his limit, and never went overboard. But monkeys climb and Ben’s was more agile and clever than most.” Amelia’s corroboration about Ben’s drug penchants alludes to the ubiquity of banned drugs in the streets. Ben is in an environment where everyone is disposed to illegitimate drugs. It is exceptional that Amelia does fall victim to the prevalence of drugs.
