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After Us

AAFTER US In this poem, the poet uses a surplus of imagery to allow the reader to fully see what she is trying to get us to picture. In the first line, she talks about how rain, which can be destructive or helpful, is seeping into a room where books and other material things reside. In the lines to follow, she writes about how everything that flourished under the sun, turned away to try and find the light that they so desperately need. This shows the destructive side to rain because it paints the picture of a dark day with rain falling and silencing all activities that happen during the day. In the second paragraph, the poet writes about a portrait, which has sketches of boats and barns and this creates the image of a perfect utopia where everything is peaceful and nothing has disturbed it. The paragraph that follows this peaceful picture, is where the foreboding and evil rain begins to make its appearance again. She writes about how everything that was ever thought of or invented or t
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THE SHELTERING SKY

TTHE SHELTERING SKY 

The Sheltering Sky is a 1949 novel by American author Paul Bowles. Centered on New York couple Port Moresby and his wife, Kit, it follows their journey to the North African desert accompanied by their friend George Tunner. The trip initially intended to help Port and Kit resolve their marital difficulties, soon becomes a battle for survival as their ignorance of the dangers around them comes back to haunt them. Exploring themes of colonialism, privilege, and existential despair, The Sheltering Sky is considered one of the pioneering post-colonial novels and was critically acclaimed. It was named as one of the hundred best novels of the 20th century by both Time Magazine and The Modern Library. In 1990, it was adapted into a feature film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich. The Sheltering Sky has been influential on musical artists, with artists, including The Police, using motifs and references from the book on their albums.

The Sheltering Sky begins as Port and Kit Moresby arrive in Oran, Algeria along with their friend George Tunner. Port is excited to commit to this journey, throwing himself into a new nomadic existence, but Kit is fearful, seeing every minor occurrence on their journey that throws them off as a portent of impending doom. Tunner, more of a casual traveler, has his sights on seducing Kit as he sees his friends’ marriage falling apart. Port, who has been ambivalent about his marriage for a while, suspects this but doesn’t really care. Early in the trip, he leaves the camp and sleeps with a local Arab girl who robs him. Later, the Moresbys befriend Eric Lyle and his mother, traveling from Australia. They give Port a ride to Boussif in their spare seat, leaving Kit and George to take the train. While on the train, Kit gives in to George’s advances, and they have sex.

In Boussif, the three Americans, joined by the Lyles, make their way to Ain Krorfa. This village is a wasteland of flies and trash. Tunner, in particular, is disgusted and can’t wait to make his exit. Port, wanting to separate Tunner and his wife as soon as possible, arranges for Tunner to leave with the Lyles for nearby Messar. The Moresbys head by bus to Bou Noura. There, Port discovers an issue with his passport. A section is missing, and the local military commander Lieutenant D’Armagnac learns that it has been sold on the black market in Messad. Port realizes that the only possible suspect is Eric Lyle. D’Armagnac is able to arrange for Tunner to return to Bou Noura with the recovered passport, but Port is desperate to avoid more contact with him. Despite growing sick due to the conditions, he insists to Kit that they need to continue their journey, leaving for El Ga’a immediately.

On the bus to El Ga’a, Port’s condition drastically worsens. By the time they arrive in the village, he is unable to walk. Kit takes him to the local hotel to rest, only to learn that a meningitis outbreak has shut down the facilities. Having no choice but to continue traveling, they hire a driver to take them to the village of Sba, where there’s a military infirmary. The doctors there diagnose Port with typhoid. Kit tends to him in a hospital carefully overseen by the mercurial Captain Broussard. Port’s condition continues to deteriorate, with the doctors warning Kit he may not have much time left. Tunner arrives from Bou Noura, and Kit sneaks out of the military camp to meet with him. While she’s gone, Port dies from his illness.

Kit, overcome with grief and guilt, wanders into the desert. She’s picked up by a trading caravan led by Belquassim, a wealthy Sudanese man. He charms her and they’re soon married, but then his behavior turns sinister, and he imprisons her in his house. She’s drugged to keep her from leaving, and Belquassim’s other wives abuse her, seeing her as an interloper. She’s determined to escape, and one night breaks out, wandering the streets. A French-speaking local finds her and helps her, taking her to the local consulate in Oran. By this point, she’s essentially catatonic and unresponsive. She’s taken to the consulate where Tunner is waiting for her, but before they can be reunited, she disappears when the consulate employee’s back is turned and vanishes back into the streets of Libya.

Paul Bowles was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator, who lived for fifty-two years in Tangier, Morocco. He is best known for The Sheltering Sky but wrote dozens of novels, short story collections, and works of poetry. A student of Aaron Copland during his early years in New York, he was a prolific composer who often composed music to go with his written works. He was the 1991 winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story and remains widely read and discussed in literary circles today.

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