The most important line from chapter 211 is: "And then there was a sound like people fighting with swords and I could feel a strong wind and a roaring started and I closed my eyes and the roaring got louder and I groaned really loudly but I couldn't block it out of my ears and I thought the little station was going to collapse or there was a big fire somewhere and I was going to die" (Haddon 176). This line is important to the chapter because it humanizes the main character Christopher. Christopher is a 15 year old boy with Asperger's and all through the book you struggle to connect with him. He's so logical and he doesn't see the point in stories and he refuses to eat certain foods. When you are reading the book you are floating, trying to find a tether to hold onto and keep the reality of the book in mind. And this line is really important because it gives you that line, you feel his pain when he is in the train station. You hear the screech of the train and the terror it causes in him.
The line is also really important to the chapter because it allows you to realize how hard it is for Christopher to overcome his nature. How his brain picks up everything and the train is sensory overload for him. It makes the chapter easier to understand, you comprehend that its not easy for him to drop everything he knows and go to London on his own. But he is fighting for it, for the life with his Mother that he wants and the life without his father that he needs. It ties the whole point of the chapter and the story together and gives you something to root for. You want to root for Christopher, you want him to succeed.
I really enjoyed reading this post because the way that you described the most important line was so in depth and so interesting for the reader to read. I especially loved the metaphor about reading the book that you put in there. It really made me want to know more about this book and to maybe even read it as well. This was a great post!
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