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The Painted Ceiling
When Anders is shot and a bullet begins traveling through his brain, Anders remembers a baseball game from his childhood. Memories of the summer heat and the chirps of insects set a scene of idyllic innocence, a sharp contrast to the violent and unfortunate situation Anders is experiencing outside of his memory. Before the game begins, a neighborhood boy, Coyle, and Coyle’s cousin, who is from Mississippi, arrive at the baseball field. The neighborhood boys ask what position Coyle’s cousin wants to play, and Coyle’s cousin claims the role of shortstop. When Coyle’s cousin is asked why he picked shortstop, he mispronounces a few words during his explanation, likely due to his southern accent. Anders finds the mispronunciation musical and interesting, and is so struck by the phrase that he almost asks Coyle’s cousin to repeat it. As an adult, this sort of mispronunciation would be the target of Anders’s scorn, but as a child, Anders was more forgiving and openly curious about the world. The baseball game therefore represents Anders’s lost innocence and joy, embodying a time when Anders was more compassionate and sympathetic towards others.
The Baseball Game Quotes in Bullet in the Brain
The Bullet in the Brain quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Baseball Game. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Bullet in the Brain Quotes
“Shortstop,” the boy says. “Short's the best position they is.” Anders turns and looks at him. He wants to hear Coyle's cousin repeat what he's just said, though he knows better than to ask. The others will think he's being a jerk, ragging the kid for his grammar. But that isn't it, not at all-it's that Anders is strangely roused, elated, by those final two words, their pure unexpectedness and their music.
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Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Anders’s current cynicism is sharply contrasted with the past innocence and love of language that defined his youth. A newcomer to the neighborhood, Coyle’s cousin, is visiting from Mississippi; he is invited to participate in a local baseball game with Anders and his friends. Coyle’s cousin chooses to play shortstop, but when he explains his rationale, his accent changes the sound of his words into something new. Anders is “elated” to hear the cousin’s mispronunciation, as the “unexpectedness” of the words’ rhythm excites him. As an adult, this type of mispronunciation would likely fuel Anders’ sense of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque p
But for now Anders can still make time. Time for the shadows to lengthen on the grass, time for the tethered dog to bark at the flying ball, time for the boy in right field to smack his sweat-blackened mitt and softly chant, They is, they is, they is.
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In this passage, Anders is coexisting in two separate eras. In his adult lifethe present momenthe has just been shot and is close to death, as a bullet is passing through his brain. In his memory, though, he is reliving an innocent and nostalgic scene from his childhood: he is in the middle of a summertime baseball game. Memory has allowed Anders to “make time” to redeem himself, despite his current cynicism. In his past, Anders is an innocent boy who respects others and forgives them for mistakes, and a mispronunciation inspires wonder, not scorn. In fact, Anders is so Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. E
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The Baseball Game Symbol Timeline in Bullet in the Brain
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Baseball Game appears in Bullet in the Brain. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Bullet in the Brain
...from his childhood “forty years past.” In this scene, he is participating in a summertime baseball game in his neighborhood. The boys of the neighborhood are arguing over which baseball player is...
(full context)
...Anders’s brain, bringing him closer to his inevitable death. But Anders’s memory of his childhood baseball game gives him time to relive his happier past and to recapture his innocence. In his...
(full context)
