The contexts in D'Ambrosio's 'Brick Wall' all relate back to the idea of time and more specifically, one's legacy. Growing up in Chicago, D'ambrosio sees the industrialization of the city, brick buildings everywhere, fireproof to prevent another catastrophe, He notes that the mining of clay is known as "winning" which he describes as paradoxical because the clay is 340 million years old, "old enough to temper a man's sense of triumph".
As brick is now associated with time (and legacy), the author links other themes to it, such as his experience in the antique shop dealing with customers in search of a hidden treasure "in search of antiques without time". As the age of the brick tempers a man's sense of triumph, gambling at his uncle's bar was away to keep the past "alive and livable... Even the smallest gamble instantly gave you a stake in the outcome of time itself." The 'Characters' ath the bar didn't want to change their future, but relive the past, to escape a depressing present.
I really liked the title of the post. Pretty clever.
ReplyDeleteI also liked that you established a clear example of bricks and time by mentioning the antiques.