96 Miles

“But I didn’t expect something like this. I didn’t expect a choice between getting my brother to Brighton Ranch alive or helping two complete strangers. And the worst part is that Stew is right. He’s exactly right. Dad would do both.”

When John faces the choice between leaving Will and Cleverly or inviting them to come on their journey, Stew reminds John that their dad would find a way to bring the brother and sister. This demonstrates the care for others Mr. Lockwood instilled in his boys and relates to the theme that Difficult Situations Reveal Character. Stew and John must fight to survive, but not at the cost of failing to care for others. Esplin uses repetition to create emphasis and dramatic tension: “[…] Stew is right. He’s exactly right.” 

“I avoided looking at him directly—maybe I didn’t think it was a big deal to turn our state flag into a curtain for my bedroom window, but my dad did. And there was nothing worse than the feeling that I’d disappointed him.”

John continually flashes back to the morning his father left town, when he scolded John for using the state flag as a curtain. This corresponds to the immense pressure John feels to fill his father’s shoes, and to not fail his dad or Stew. John’s panic attacks are often brought on by John’s memory of the exchange with his dad about the flag, and he struggles to breathe as he navigates his feelings of fear and pressure.

“It’s weird but you never notice how much noise electricity generates until everything shuts off at the exact same time. And I’m not talking about the big stuff, like a movie blaring on the television, or the second round of popcorn popping in the microwave. I’m talking about the stuff in the background; the stuff you didn’t even realize was making so much noise. The whirl of an overhead fan, the whoosh of the air conditioner, the soft buzz of a refrigerator. Whirl, whoosh, buzz, all coming to a stop at once. Creating the most complete silence you’ve ever heard.”

Esplin draws attention to the relationship between electricity and sound: “Whirl, whoosh, buzz.” Through imagery and onomatopoeia, where words