Tabula Rasa
The principal of Chase’s school gives him some advice in which he couches the fact that Chase was a real jerk within metaphorical imagery. Chase may not remember being the bully he was, but he was also never the sharpest knife in the drawer, anyway, so his response to the principal’s advice—sheer confusion—should not be unexpected:
“This is an awful thing that’s happened to you, but it’s also presenting you with a rare opportunity. You have the chance to rebuild yourself from the ground up, to make a completely fresh start. Don’t squander it…there are millions of people who’d give anything to stand where you stand right now—in front of a completely blank canvas.”
Shoshana the Judgmental
Several characters make reference to the fact that Shoshanna is very judgmental. On at least one occasion, she is compared to not just the jury determining judgment of the verdict, but the executioner carrying out the inevitable sentencing of the guilty verdict. Even her own brother is clued in to this underlying threat within this trait:
“My sister judges everything and everybody so harshly that when her judgment falls on herself, it’s like the end of the world.”
Comic Metaphor
Even when the subject matter is pretty dark—such as the centerpiece of the story is here—and author can almost always find room use metaphor for introducing a little comic pop here and there. That’s the nice thing about metaphorical imagery, it is a very flexible tool that can be called upon for a variety of purposes, such as simple character description:
“Her face is the color of an overripe tomato.”
Muscle Memory
In addition to being a bully, Chase was also a football star in his pre-coma existence. Although some might argue that there is little difference. He can’t remember plays, but muscle memory is built into his system so he does still at least remember how to play:
“I have no memory of what practice is supposed to be like. But I don’t complain about the treatment, and focus on doing my job. I guess playing football is like riding a bicycle. You never really forget how.”
If It Thinks Like a Toady
Aaron was one of Chase’s toadies back in his bullying days and he is much more convinced that the leader of his pack is really suffering memory loss than his fellow toady, Bear. Bear’s suggestion that Chase never really had amnesia is enticing, but then again, a duck isn’t a goose, after all:
My dad always uses this expression: “If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” Well, that isn’t always true. It looks like Ambrose, and it talks like Ambrose. But no way that’s Ambrose.
