English 015 - Americans Abroad
Levels of Creepiness
Levels of Creepiness
Category: 06B: The Sheltering Sky | Ross Stern
“ ‘Isn’t married life wonderful?’” (p.60); Eric Lyle makes this statement in regards to his relationship with his mother. Take note, this short stint of “creepiness” is not an isolated incident; other situations like it douse The Sheltering Sky. Port and Kit find the Lyles creepy on two different levels.
In many cases, both Port and Kit find the Lyles creepy on a superficial level; the Lyles simply act strangely. As previously mentioned, Eric Lyle views his relationship with his mother as a marriage. Eric also mentions that he and his mother had “an astonishing list of diseases, and that they still suffered intermittently from most of them” (p.59). Eric Lyle snoops around Port’s room “letting his gaze wander” (p.64). He also insists that Port lend him ten thousand francs and shortly after “devour[s] Port with his eyes” (p.118). On the surface the Lyle’s behavior is simply odd and eerie; it would cause any individual to feel uneasy. However, on a deeper level, the Lyle’s creepiness actually threatens Kit’s sense of well-being.
Early in the novel, Kit claims that “she could feel doom hanging over her head like a low rain cloud” (p.43). From here on out, clouds indicate that “unfortunate” events will soon to occur. Strangely, clouds often appear when the Lyle’s are present: “as he was standing in the window admiring the first clouds…a knock came at the door; it was Eric Lyle” (p.63). Later on, when Port and Kit are talking about traveling with the Lyle’s, Kit looks out the window and notices how dark and cloudy it is; a “haunted look [comes] into her eyes” (p.65). Kit associates clouds with misfortune, and she associates the Lyle’s with dark clouds. Therefore, her superstition leads her to feel threatened by the Lyles. She believes that the Lyles are bound to bring misfortune to her and Port at some point in the future; they are an indication of dreadful things to come.
Posted by on November 06, 2003 at 02:08 PM