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PASSAGE 1: The first passage I would like to discuss is “A short, sleeveless shift was all that covered her, but she wasn’t cold. The temperature in the room was precisely calibrated to keep her comfortable. Punishment was meted out in other ways: in increments of solitude, monotony and, harshest of all, self-reflection, both figurative and literal. She hadn’t yet seen the mirrors, but she could feel them shimmering at the edges of her awareness, waiting to show her what she’d become.” (page 1) There is something to be said about the indomitable human spirit when faced with outer turmoil. I believe that when people outwardly subject others to torture, it is easier for the tortured to identify the torturer and outwardly resist. Survival instincts kick in and a person does whatever it takes to endure the process by focusing and both the pain and the person who is inflicting it. However, when there is no active act of torture and one is left to their own dark thoughts the mental anguish can be harder to endure then the physical pain. Before the protagonist is released into society, where she will most likely be stigmatized as she had stigmatized the “Reds” before, she must endure her own stigmatization, self-loathing and dejection, all while feeling very publicly exposed. Studies have shown that solitary confinement causes psychological issues as well, so it may be extremely difficult on her mental state and have long term psychological effects.
PASSAGE 2: Another passage I would like to discuss is on page 33. “ ’Will it feel any pain?’ Raphael shook his head… Her shoulders slumped with a sigh of relief, and Raphael added, ‘it’ll be painful for you though. The cramping can be severe.’ ‘I don’t care about that.’ Hannah wanted it to hu...

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... feels the elderly man has been very straightforward with her up to this point, so why does he choose now to conceal the truth. Who is he protecting?
1 OBSERVATION: One element of fiction is the color symbolism and its uses to designate criminal castes in society. Red is for murder( kind of obvious as a representation of blood), then there is blue for child molesters, and yellow for misdemeanors(not too alarming of a color but still noticeable). Not only is the color of Hannah’s skin a constant reminder to her of the blood of her unborn child and the life that she took, but she will have to deal with the stigmas of society upon her release. I think the use of color pigmenting to the skin as a way of public branding will play an important role thought the novel including affecting the way the society, her family and friends, and Hannah herself, will perceive Hannah.

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