I want to talk about the introduction of Kalden on Page 91. The whole passage is very awkward and above all else mysterious. He is portrayed in a very ambiguous way and from the description, it seems like he has no business being inside The Circle, although he does claim to work there. Mae is described as feeling unsettled and uncomfortable throughout the whole three page span of his presence. I was wondering what you guys thought of all of this.
Here are some interesting quotes from the passage I think you should take a look at:
"Standing in the hallway, under a tall narrow window, staring at his phone. Bathed in a blue-white light, he seemed to be waiting for instructions from his screen."
"His face was so open, his eyes liquid, gentle, unassuming, and he spoke so softly that any possibility of a threat seemed remote."
Kalden: "Well, I better head out, I'll just slip away."
Why did Eggers paint this scene with such mystery? What was he trying to convey through Kalden? Who do you think he is?
When we were first introduced to Kalden, I wasn't very skeptical of him since it was so early in the book. As I progressed towards the end of novel and the identity of this mysterious man was still not revealed, I knew something was up. Mae was secretly meeting up with Kalden, didn't know his last name, or which part of The Circle he worked for. When Mae asks Annie, who knows every employee at The Circle, she is convinced he is a spy of some sort since she has never heard of any "Kaldens" and tells Mae to "watch out." It really puzzled me that Mae, knowing the possibility of this man being a threat to the company, would put her precious position at The Circle out on the line just to meet up with him. By Eggers adding this character to the book, it puts the reader on edge throughout, adding an interesting twist to the ending.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michaela in that Eggers does a nice job keeping the reader interested. I also think that Kalden is definitely an essential part of the book. Without him i feel like the book would be a bit too easy and maybe slightly dry. Kalden also is a nice example of how Eggers leaves out religion. He portrays this lack of religion through this weird, mysterious, snake(ish) character. Well done Eggers.
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