In the novel, The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy describes the experience of the main character burying a dead wolf. In the midst of the tragedy, the main character realizes the weakness of living beings against death through the symbol of the wolf. McCarthy incorporates polysyndeton, comparisons, and imagery to highlight the realization of the main character through the experience of losing a beloved factor in his life. McCarthy introduces the impact of the experience on the main character through the character’s care for the wolf. Arriving at the scene on a horse, the main character appears heroic as he carries a dead wolf with him and takes care of the wolf’s body. However, the main character deeply cares for the wolf as expressed by the polysyndeton…show more content… The repetition also creates a methodical rhythm that highlights the persistence of the main character to take care of the wolf. The main character’s deep attachment to the wolf underlines the effects of the experience on the main character. In contrast to the tenderness of the main character, the environment signals danger as the main character hears coyotes’ cries at night. The sound imagery “yapping,” “calling,” and “cries” of coyotes establishes an ominous mood because coyotes are scavengers, which means their presence signals death. The ominous mood induces fear that establishes negative effect that the wolf’s death has on the main character. Also, the “calling” and “cries” construct a sense of mourning for the wolf, augmenting importance of the wolf to not only the main character, but also nature. The impact of the wolf’s death on the main character is revealed through polysyndeton and religious symbol. After uncovering the wolf, the main character sets to work on the settlement for the night, waiting for morning to come to bury the wolf. The death of the wolf proves to be detrimental to…show more content… McCarthy established religious imagery, with “celebrants,” “sacred,” and “sects” while the main character hangs the sheet that covered the wolf on a pole, to describe the nature of the wolf’s death as holy or pure. The religious imagery elevates the wolf to a higher being, highlighting the importance of the wolf and suggesting that the experience is also a spiritual death. In the simile “his hands palm up before him like some dozing penitent,” the main character is compared to a repenting sinner while he is sleeping. As a “dozing penitent,” the main character’s deep regrets for the wolf’s death runs subconsciously, emphasizing the effects of the experience. The repentance serves as the main character’s way of mourning for the loss of the wolf and reinforces the idea of spiritual death. Before he buries her, the main character describes the wolf’s might when she was still alive. At the base of a cliff, the main character emphasizes the feeling of sadness and hopelessness because he is at the bottom point of his life rather than the top. In contrast to the main character’s initial image as a hero, “the tall escarpments of the Pilares” reduces the main character to insignificance, which reinforces his revelation of the idea that there are greater powers in the world than humans. Before burying the wolf, the main character admires the wolf one last time. The narrator compares the wolf’s eye
