58 pages • 1 hour read
S. A. CosbyBlacktop Wasteland
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Omniscient Narrator
Point of view is one of the most important and most misunderstood elements of literary fiction. There are two primary literary points of view: first person, in which the narrator is one of the characters in the story; and third person, in which the narrator is situated “outside” the narrative events and instead reports those events. Third-person narration is often omniscient, meaning the narrator speaks from the god-like perspective of knowing everything about everyone in the story, including their thoughts and intentions.
Cosby writes with a third-person limited omniscient narrator, meaning that the narration tends to follow one character and is relatively restricted to reporting only those events within that character’s awareness. Instead of choosing one character for the entire novel, however, the author shifts between individual third-person perspectives. This allows him to relate more details of the developing narrative and place the reader intimately inside the thoughts of various characters. This also heightens the internal tension of the story.
An example is in Chapter 21, which begins as if the narrator is looking over Bug’s shoulder, relating what he is thinking as he listens to Lazy spell out what he must do to stay alive—which Bug intuitively recognizes as deceit. After Bug watches a mobster shoot Quan, there is a section break, and the narrative resumes with the narrator looking over Lazy’s shoulder; the mobster confides in his associates that he intends to kill Bug and Ronnie. One virtue of this narration method is that it allows the author to explain the inner motives and intentions of every character, making the narrative more expansive and the characters more empathetic.
In Medias Res
“In medias res,” which literally means “in the middle of things,” is often considered the better way to start a narrative. The alternative method of starting a story is by relating “backstory,” or offering some history of the characters, actions, and individuals leading up to the story’s main events. Cosby begins in medias res as he describes Bug and Kelvin driving through a group of would-be drag racers, trying to decide who has the money and courage to race them for $1,000. When starting in medias res, the author must eventually build in the backstory so readers grasp the significance of the ongoing events. In this case, beginning about two pages into the story, the author explains why Bug and Kelvin have come to this place. Once the setting has been conveyed and the narrative is progressing, Cosby can include portions of Bug’s backstory without losing the interest and attention of the reader. For instance, as the two drag racers are about to leave the starting line, the narrator breaks away from the narrative to relate what Bug’s father would have said at such a moment
Cosby also ends the narrative in medias res, which is to say that the story has no marked conclusion. One cannot say the novel has a happy ending—which, in this case, would mean Bug settling down, living a contented life as an auto mechanic, and no old cronies or enemies ever bothering him again. One cannot say the novel has an unhappy ending—which might involve Bug disappearing forever from Red Hill because he felt he would be endangering his family and setting a terrible example if they stayed. Cosby leaves his readers “in the middle of things,” having to decide for themselves what decision Bug made and what the results of that decision were.
Word Play
Subtle word play is often present in the names of the characters and locations. A simple example is the name of the main character’s wife, Kia—which sounds like key. Bug is a mechanic whose great skill is building mighty cars that can outrun unsuspecting police cruisers. Kia is also the name of an automotive brand—automobiles that are generally regarded as pedestrian vehicles, the farthest thing from race cars. Thus, through the use of Bug’s wife’s name, Cosby symbolically points out the distinction between who Bug’s wife is over against what Bug’s passion is, implying an ongoing conflict. Montage, Bug’s last name, means a mosaic or gathering of similar items. Cosby uses this image to convey that Bug is more than one person.
In the final violent confrontation, Lazy, whose given name is Lazarus, emerges from the upside-down Cadillac in which two others have died. Lazarus alone—as in the Bible—survives the tomb, only to be repeatedly pounded by Bug’s car, the Duster. Bug notes that Lazy’s right-hand man, Burning Man, has been “extinguished.”
Cosby makes a clever symbolic statement about the nursing home where Ella Montage lives, the Lake Castor Convalescent Center. The name is meant to evoke an image of a lake resulting from the use of castor oil. Cosby uses the name in a passage describing the ever-present smell of urine in the nursing home. Symbolically referencing feces and urine, the author expresses his judgment on the home.
Related Titles
By S. A. Cosby
