Themes-
- Alcohol- From the first line of the story it is apparent how important alcohol is to the characters in this story ("...everyone sits around saying 'I drank too much'")
- Memory- As the story progresses it becomes clear that Ned has either ignored or forgotten some recent occurrences ("Was his memory failing or had he so disciplined it in the repression of unpleasant facts that he had damaged his sense of the truth?")
- Exploration- Ned is often described as an explorer or pilgrim and there are numerous references to maps ("He seemed to see, with a cartographer's eye","it had been on his maps")
- Time- Over the course of his journey the seasons all change, going from summer at the start to the "wintery gleam" near the end. There are also points at which exactly when events have taken place is unclear (he arrives at the Halloran's house in search of a drink only to find out they haven't had any alcohol for a long time "since Eric's operation. That was three years ago")
Exactly what is going on becomes less and less clear as the story progresses and the reader is drawn into Ned's confusion as he gets lost, loses track of time, gets more drunk and forgets past events. All of these combined make for a disorienting sensation when reading and I would like to try to give this feeling with my imagery as well.
The idea of a series of related illustrations, with a central image, subject or motif, that slowly change is something that I would like to use to convey this gradual breakdown of reality around Ned.
I think it is important that my illustrations are not literal representations of scenes from the story (unless the effect of this is considered and purposeful, not just a default) but more conceptual ways of dealing with the themes listed above. I want the reader to have to think about the illustration's relation to the text, and hopefully because of this interaction be immersed more into the mental state of the protagonist.
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