Sierra Murray Essays - Jain Cosmology, Naraka, Reincarnation

Sierra Murray Thursday, April 7, 16 Essay Exotic Pleasures The short story "Exotic Pleasures" has a very specific setting that greatly contributes to the theme of the story. The theme of this particular text would be apocalyptic destruction of the human race. Firstly, the apocalyptic setting is a way of foreshadowing the ending of the text; the fact that nature always wins. It's a way of getting the reader's ready for what comes next. Secondly, the physical setting; dry and hellish also adds on to the apocalyptic theme. And lastly, the economic situation of the text can portray a hellish environment; the way there is only low and high class, with absolutely no middle class. All these attributes combine to contribute to the apocalyptic theme of the text "Exotic Pleasures". In the text "Exotic Pleasures", the author chose the apocalyptic setting to foreshadow how nature always wins. The main foreshadowing was a great clue as of to what included in the ending. "Service stations in the north were overcome by green vegetation. Men in masks sprayed poisons which proved ineffective. People lay in hospital beds seriously ill from drinking water contaminated by this same herbicide. Fire, it seemed, rather than slowing the spread of the Rock-drill merely accelerated the germination of the seeds. Mort watched an overgrown house sacrificed to fire and then the result, a week later, when giant Rock-drills grew in the burnt-out ruins. He would have turned complacently to the late movie on another channel, had they mot shown film of the Rock-drill's home environment." (127) This subliminal foreshadowing contributed to the main theme of the text and made it very clear that it was about how nature always wins. It was a strong indicator and directly foreshadows what happens next. This quote from the text also foreshadows the fact that the human race is the end to themselves, being poisoned by poisons they made to fix the problem, just making it bigger. The physical setting of the text "Exotic Pleasures" contributes to the theme, which is, that nature always wins. Settings that could be as simple as a parking lot were described in a way that suggests apocalyptic qualities, "Through pale veils of pleasure she saw him walking back across the blistering car park and she knew, before he arrived at the car, exactly what his eyes would look like." Lilly explains the setting in a way that suggests it to be dead and dry as it would be in an apocalyptical way. The physical setting of the text contributed greatly to the main theme of the text "Exotic Pleasures". The economic situation of the people in the text can portray a dead and hellish environment; the way there is only low and high class, with absolutely no middle class, contributes to the main theme of the particular text. In the beginning of the text the couple Lilly and Mort need to make money for a living, and settled by using a bird to make their living. The couple is struggling to live and even 5 dollars is much for them to spend. Lilly bought the bird for the low cost of five dollars and still felt that she couldn't, "I can only offer five," she said, thinking that she couldn't offer five at all." (113). The fact that the economic situation is so bad, contributes greatly to the theme in which nature always wins in this particular text. The text "Exotic Pleasures" has many elements that make the theme very obvious. The foreshadowing in the text suggests the theme of the story, which is apocalyptical and the fact that nature always wins. The physical setting, which is dry and hellish also contributes. Lastly, the economic situation in the text also contributes to the theme of the text. All these elements add together to contribute to the obvious theme, which is apocalyptic, and the fact that nature always wins.