"I try to block her out by focusing on the rhythm of dripping water—a liquid metronome. My fingers move to the beat, tapping out the notes to the second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh against my thigh, and as I play the silent music, I cry myself to sleep."
Fiona is first introduced into the new world, the world that is divided in two sides of the wall. There is a side where people are healthy and flourishing, and a side with militia, raiders, and humans affected by the disease. Fiona is completely traumatized and shows that she finds comfort in the rhythm and beat of the music. This shows her previous background with the piano and the impact of the situation on her as a character.
“There is no time down here."
Arrin emphasizes on the aspect that no human on this side of the wall knows what is going on. Everybody is always running at every point in time, and there is nothing to keep track of. Humans are always fearing their lives because of the pandemic and nobody can worry about the trivial things such as time, instead, they worry about getting supplies such as food and water.
"The boy gives each child a worm, then hands one to the woman. Once everyone else has had one, he takes one for himself, eating the wriggling creature in little bites, savoring it."
This shows the struggle between family and resources. The father of the family has left them on the wrong side of the wall, forcing the family to eat dirt and worms while the father lives a better and pleasant life with the wealth he has. Evident here is the struggle between helping yourself and helping others, and how selfish someone can get in this situation of pandemic and struggle.
