English 015 - Americans Abroad
Separation
Separation
Category: 06B: The Sheltering Sky | Kelsey Abbruzzese
Whenever the Lyles crash into The Sheltering Sky, shouting and insulting the natives, Port and Kit face separation. The Lyles’ presence in the story suggests the growing distance between Port and Kit and the increasing closeness of Kit and Tunner.
The Lyles enter in the story as Port and Kit’s ride to Boussif. However, Kit refuses to leave Tunner, telling Port, “You do exactly what you like. I’ll go on the train with Tunner” (Bowles 65). Because Port rides to Boussif with the Lyles, Kit sleeps with Tunner after a night of drinking.
Another separation involving the Lyles occurs when Eric intrudes on the couple’s walk, forcing Kit’s flight to the hotel and to Tunner. When Port returns, “he had found Kit and Tunner drinking beer together in the bar, and since then he had not had her to himself a minute” (107). The Lyles cause a rift between Port and Kit, such that Port associates the Lyles with Tunner. When Port tells Kit they cannot leave Ain Krorfa, she says, “So we’re stuck in the Grand Hotel.” Port thinks, “‘With Tunner.’ Aloud: ‘With the Lyles’” (120). Through the Lyles, the physical and emotional division between Port and Kit surfaces.
Posted by on November 06, 2003 at 02:08 PM