Squier, like many other wanderers during the Depression, probably hasn't had a good meal in 3-4 days and probably hasn't been eating regularly. He is also an alcoholic.
It is unlikely, however, that he suffers from Delerium tremens, the delerium and shakes that come from severe alcohol withdrawal. He would have to be regularly imbibing and absorbing large amounts of alcohol to get to this level, and for all we know, he might have not had anything to eat in a day or two.
What Squier likely does suffer from, however, is headaches, stomachache, general irritability, a difficulty concentrating, perhaps strain on his eye sight, diminished appetite, and a low libido. Although his body probably hasn't gone into complete starvation mode -- think of the images of African children in famine and prisoners and victims of Concentration Camps and Reeducation Camps -- his body has likely stopped metabolizing and absorbing food at a normal rate. That "Today's Special" meal he eats should probably get him through the day without a problem, but that beer he pounds might also be because it is a source of carbohydrates and hydration, as well as the alcohol he craves.
Finally, because he is not eating at normal intervals, it is quite possible that the meal he dumped on his system, after not eating in awhile, went right through him and gave him diarrhea. Which would make him more dehydrated.
The Petrified Forest: A Research Blog
Showing posts with label Squier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Squier. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
shot in the gut
It is likely that Squier, while in pain, can move himself enough, especially with his arms, to move closer to Gabby and/or to fall upon her.
If Squier is shot and quickly dies after it is mostly likely due to internal bleeding in a vital organ, such as the liver, stomach, or, especially, the spleen. If you get shot in or through the spleen, you will likely die soon after. Moving around, which might help push the bullet further around in the organ, might even speed up the dying process as it will cause more bleeding.
Squier is able to move during this painful process because even though he anticipated Duke shooting him, human response to wounds like this still require the brain to fully process what is happening to the body. In other words, the brain won't immediately stop the body from moving and responding to a fatal wound, so especially right after getting shot, Squier would be able to move himself.
For the sake of following the logic of the scene, it's probably best to assume that Squier does get shot in a vital organ like spleen because he dies within three minutes.
(I would like to thank my mother, the nurse, for help with this one.)
If Squier is shot and quickly dies after it is mostly likely due to internal bleeding in a vital organ, such as the liver, stomach, or, especially, the spleen. If you get shot in or through the spleen, you will likely die soon after. Moving around, which might help push the bullet further around in the organ, might even speed up the dying process as it will cause more bleeding.
Squier is able to move during this painful process because even though he anticipated Duke shooting him, human response to wounds like this still require the brain to fully process what is happening to the body. In other words, the brain won't immediately stop the body from moving and responding to a fatal wound, so especially right after getting shot, Squier would be able to move himself.
For the sake of following the logic of the scene, it's probably best to assume that Squier does get shot in a vital organ like spleen because he dies within three minutes.
(I would like to thank my mother, the nurse, for help with this one.)
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Hollow Men
Squier asks Gabby towards the end of Act I if she's read "The Hollow Men" (p. 29). When she indicates that she hasn't, he says "Don't. It's discouraging."
"The Hollow Men," is a poem by T. S. Eliot that shares many of the common features of his more famous poem, "The Waste Land." Although it is much shorter and pre-dates TWL it does require footnotes/hypertext to understand the ample allusions -- a good version can be found here. The poem ends:
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Eliot was responding to the absolute failing of rationalization and human progress by the specter of World War I: All of the progress of the Western world had ended in ugly trench warfare, suffering, and death.
N.B.: "The Hollow Men" has also been heard by Chicago audiences before -- when it was quoted at the end of Tracy Letts's August: Osage County at Steppenwolf in 2007.
"The Hollow Men," is a poem by T. S. Eliot that shares many of the common features of his more famous poem, "The Waste Land." Although it is much shorter and pre-dates TWL it does require footnotes/hypertext to understand the ample allusions -- a good version can be found here. The poem ends:
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Eliot was responding to the absolute failing of rationalization and human progress by the specter of World War I: All of the progress of the Western world had ended in ugly trench warfare, suffering, and death.
N.B.: "The Hollow Men" has also been heard by Chicago audiences before -- when it was quoted at the end of Tracy Letts's August: Osage County at Steppenwolf in 2007.
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