Dust

“They seemed terrified that she might puncture a sacred seal and let in a foul and murderous air. Juliette saw the way they looked at her, knowing she’d been on the outside, as though she were some kind of ghost. Many kept their distance as if she bore some disease.”

This passage emphasizes the religious and superstitious beliefs that govern the silos. The use of the words “sacred” and “foul,” as well as the ghost imagery, emphasizes that many people in the silos do not operate on a purely rational basis. Additionally, the description of foul air and disease combines with the religious tone to allude to the religious justification of illness as a punishment from God.

“The gods I believe in…the gods I worship were the men and women who built this place and more like it. They built this place to protect us from the world they destroyed. They were gods and demons, both. But they left us space for redemption. They meant us to be free, Father, and they gave us the means.”

Juliette’s view of the world has gone from black and white to gray with experience and knowledge of the truth. Her understanding that the people of the past were both “gods and demons” emphasizes that their power had no moral quality until it was used for the terrible purpose of nuclear war and the more benign purpose of saving some human life. She refuses to label things as good or evil exclusively, unlike Father Wendel.

“He was dying, which is why he wanted to stockpile food for her and make sure she could leave. It was why he wanted to make sure she had a radio, so she would have someone to talk to. Her brother was dying, and he didn’t want to be buried, didn’t want to die down there in that pit in the ground where he couldn’t breathe. Charlotte knew damn well what the suit was for.”

This passage uses repetition to emphasize Donald’s resolve and Charlotte’s understanding of her brother’s fears and mindset. Donald is ensuring that Charlotte will have the necessities for survival without consideration for his own life. Interestingly, though, Donald’s motivations are contradictory: He pursues death but fears burial; he accepts death but not what could come after.