Survivor Type

“When I was making my inventory, I forgot one thing: two kilos of pure heroin, worth about $350,000, New York street value. Here it’s worth el zilcho. Sort of funny, isn’t it? Ha-ha!”

This excerpt illustrates Richard Pine’s use of colloquial language, which ties him to his modest background. The short sentences and the use of Pine’s preferred interjection “ha-ha” at the end convey the main character’s fragmented stream of consciousness. Additionally, the fact that this comment is added after the main entry of the day demonstrates how scattered and unorganized his thoughts are.

“Can you imagine that bird, almost breaking my ankle and then pecking me? If I catch another one tomorrow, I’ll torture it. I let this one off too easily. Even as I write, I am able to glance down at its severed head on the sand. Its black eyes, even with the death-glaze on them, seem to be mocking me.”

The excerpt starts with an apostrophe, in which Pine is addressing the invisible presence he has been conversing with, which helps immerse the reader into the narrative. This excerpt marks the moment when the narrative becomes macabre, as the main character is experiencing both delight and frustration toward the bird he killed. Additionally, this passage is at the end of one of Pine’s daily entries, which gives the gruesome scene of the tone a certain finality.

“I was one hell of a surgeon, as I believe I may have said. They drummed me out. It’s a laugh, really: they all do it, and they’re so bloody sanctimonious when someone gets caught at it. Screw you, Jack, I got mine. The Second Oath of Hippocrates and Hypocrites.”

This excerpt demonstrates the complexity of the main character. Even though he has a background in medicine and academia, as is highlighted by his use of the word “sanctimonious” and his reference to the Oath of Hippocrates, Pine uses slang words to describe how he lost his position because he participated in the drug trade.