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Angie Abdou’s novel The Bone Cage tells the reader about the fate of two athletes, the swimmer Sadie Jorgensen and the wrestler Digger Stapleton. A distinguishing characteristic of the novel is a shifting narrative; thus, the author switches between describing the events of the two protagonists. Each hero has his own destiny, goals, and experiences, but ultimately they intersect and influence each other. The novel has no ending in the natural sense of the word, and there is no final defining event. The two selected chapters, namely, describing Digger’s victory and the death of Sadie’s grandmother Eva, culminate in the context of reflections on the lives of athletes. It shows how shifting storytelling helps the reader immerse deeper into the lives and experiences of athletes by comparing different circumstances.
The novel is characterized by a dual structure: two protagonists, two events, two destinies, and two views on sports and on life. Moreover, the author switches between the description of events from the side of the first, then from the side of the second protagonist. Digger is a true fanatic of his craft, and wrestling is a matter of his whole life. No wonder the fight against Harisson was vitally important to Digger. The captivating description of the battle takes the reader completely into the ring, helping to feel the full range of experiences and adrenaline rush. Digger is a strategist; in his duel, one can notice the kind of thinking in his head: “The next fake Harrison reaches too far… Digger reacts immediately” (Abdou 52). Such a cold-blooded calculation and reflection on tactics right during the battle shows all Digger’s love and dedication to the sport.
The author does not put a point to the end of the story, but rather three dots, thereby making the reader reflect and draw individual conclusions. The shifting narrative also helps the reader better understand the differences between the main characters and their sports peculiarities. In this novel, sports play a significant role; it is not just physical activity. For the main characters, sport is a prism through which they see the world and react to events. The key passage from Sadie’s chapter is about being in hospital with her ill grandmother, and it shows how personal problems may affect the athlete. Moreover, it was difficult for Sadie to see Eva’s anguish: “If I could just know, Sadie thinks, maybe I could take on some of her pain.” (Abdou 63). This event significantly influenced the hero’s outlook and ideas about the sport. Namely, it led to triggering the end of Sadie’s career.
The fact that the main heroes belong to different genders also helps to compare different points of view: through the prism of the male and the female. While in the hospital, Sadie was trying to joke and cheer up her grandmother even when Eva’s condition worsened: “Eva does not laugh. Maybe she does not hear.” (Abdou 64). Moreover, the author skillfully describes the complexity and routine of training, and the reader literally feels the piercing morning cold in the pool water. However, this is not just a description of the process; it is one of the factors that build the foundation for the inner experiences of athletes. For Digger, getting ready for a competition is not just about losing weight and exercising. Certainly, it shows the strength of his spirit, aspiration, and determination. For both, sport is a manifestation of their adulthood, namely how it affects the growing up process, physical and mental.
Switching between protagonists from chapter to chapter is an unusual and masterful decision that affects the perception of the situation for the reader. Within this style, it is easier for one to analyze the author’s idea by visual comparison. In the selected chapters, for Digger, the key passage is the fight against Harrison. The hero is worried, but at the same time, Digger is cold-blooded and can think over tactics and choose the main goals on which to focus. The climax is a victory that seemingly brings satisfaction, euphoria, and pride. However, after the victory, standing on the rig all sweaty, the hero asks the question: “Is this a taste of relief?” (Abdou 53). Thus, the author leaves this question open, both for the character and for the readers. All this helps the reader to delve deeper into the question of the impact of sport on the lives of athletes.
For comparison, Sandy has a seemingly similar situation at first glance. The character also has competition preparation, grueling workouts, and personal problems. The latter factor makes the main difference between the situations of the heroes, which can be clearly seen with the help of the shifting narrative. Besides the competition, another problem appears for the heroine, namely the illness and death of her grandmother. It has an impact on the psychological state as well as on the performance indicators since it was sorely to Eva: “She lies back, eyes closed, and moans.” (Abdou 62). Thus, in one of the workouts, when Sandy was clearly focused on the problem, the coach immediately noticed it. After which, they had a conversation in which the coach advised them to put it out of Sadie’s head since the competition was coming soon. This angered Sadie, although it looks like a special coaching trick of the emotional charge of the athlete to improve efficiency.
The author’s constant switching from one character to another helps the reader to grasp the differences in the dual structure. For Digger, victory was the highlight, and the athlete is infinitely grateful: “But all he can think was “Thank God. Thank God. Thank God” (Abdou 53). It shows a certain motivational moment, which clearly pushes him to further progress. Most likely, this will push the hero to new heights, despite the main problem of any athlete: the decline of the career. The moment when Digger held back the celebration until the victory is also characteristic: “…, but he is learned to save celebrations for the final whistle” (Abdou 52). This also emphasizes Digger’s composure and calculation, despite all the experiences and fears experienced by the athlete.
In comparison, an event with Sadie is not so optimistic in terms of motivation and further development. The death of grandmother Eva greatly affects the heroine and becomes the first seed, which will then sprout into further reflections. These include doubts about the way of life; thus, Sadie begins to think about the possibility of benefiting the world in other ways. At the end of the chosen chapter, Sadie even thinks of skipping the workout: “…Marcus seems so small and far away. She considers skipping today’s swimming practice” (Abdou 64). This contrast between Digger’s intense emotions after the victory and Sadie’s sad feelings about the grandmother helps one experience a wide range of emotions.
As a result, one may notice how the selected key passages illustrate the author’s use of shifting narratives to show the vision of the impact of sport on the lives of athletes. Using a dual structure, namely two heroes, a man and a woman, victory and loss, the author masterfully shows the spectrum of emotions experienced by the heroes. Through various events, a description of routine and training, difficulties, and personal affairs, Abdou was able to immerse the reader in the atmosphere of sports and emotional experiences.
Work Cited
Abdou, Angie. The Bone Cage. NeWest Press, 2007.
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