Galvin chapter 1 pages 9-20 question 1

John Knowles opens up the book like this to add another dynamic to the telling of this story. The opening to this book first has an adult version of the main character, Gene, who then reflects back on his past life. We are allowed a little to what becomes of this character after his experience at the Devon boarding school. At the beginning of the story he is reflecting until the writing changes to a flashback. “(I) found it looking oddly newer than when I was a student there” (Knowles, pg.9) is one of the first lines of the book, but at page fifteen it changes to a flashback “he sprang out, fell through the tops of some lower branches, and smashed into the water” (Knowles, pg.16). These quotes seem to both be in the present tense but in the second one Gene is a child which indicates a flashback. This style of hook is used in a similar way in to kill a mockingbird were they start from the end and make a full loop back to were they started. That is why Knowles chose to begin the book in this style.