Previous
Situational Irony
Definition of Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's... read full definition
Stream of Consciousness
Explanation and Analysis—Internal Monologue:
Because the story lacks dialogue until the very end, Rye's internal monologue is particularly prominent. Though she is logical and attentive, she cannot help but veer off track, thinking about the past and future as she navigates a difficult present. These thoughts often take the form of stream of consciousness:
If she had let herself think of the possible deadly consequences of getting into a stranger's car, she would have changed her mind. Instead, she thought of the man who lived across the street from her. He rarely washed since his bout with the illness. And he had gotten into the habit of urinating wherever he happened to be. He had two women already--one tending each of his large gardens. They put up with him in exchange for his protection. He had made it clear that he wanted Rye to become his woman.
While Rye should be considering the safety of getting into the car of the bearded man, a stranger, she instead finds herself thinking about another man whose intentions are more menacing. This association between the two men is typical of stream of consciousness. Like people in real life, Rye is distracted by the different directions of her thoughts, which cannot limit themselves to the present despite her best attempts. However, this distraction is useful for Butler as it gives her an opportunity to flesh out the fictional world a bit more, providing readers with more context for Rye's situation.
Butler frequently repeats sentence structures to form Rye's stream of consciousness. Since Rye is always on her guard, she often thinks about similar things: how she might exit a situation, where people's guns are located, and the family and career she has lost because of the pandemic. This use of stream-of-consciousness allows Butler to convey the sheer disorientation of the pandemic and its destruction of society. At the same time that Rye must focus on her survival, she cannot help but think about how things might have gone differently or how things could be different.
