How does this quote unsettle readers?
By the time I came to the strip malls and factories a few miles south of Barrie it was dark and I was in the middle of a full blizzard, peering through a white fog of snow at the tail lights of the cars in front of me. The wind howled across the highway, pushing curtains of thick flakes, picking up snow and fields and banks on the west side of the road and stirring it into the storm, producing a white-out. Driving in the white-out was like creeping along the bottom of a sea of milky water that was constantly swirling and buffering the van, reducing visibility to zero” (“Bell).
I was thinking that the quotation unsettles the readers because they will be eager to know what will happen next, they’ll want to know if Garnet will get into a car crash, but does this quotation explanation of the quote unsettle the readers?
T, I think you're right:
I was thinking that the quotation unsettles the readers because they will be eager to know what will happen next, they’ll want to know if Garnet will get into a car crash
Is this the same as it being scary?
Yes
To understand how this quote unsettles readers, we need to analyze the descriptions and the emotions evoked by the author. The author sets the scene by mentioning strip malls and factories, which can create a sense of urban and industrial desolation. Then, the mention of a blizzard and a white fog of snow intensifies the sense of danger and isolation. The image of peering through the white fog at the tail lights of the cars ahead suggests limited visibility and the potential for accidents.
The use of descriptive language, such as "the wind howled," "curtains of thick flakes," and "driving in the white-out was like creeping along the bottom of a sea of milky water," adds to the unnerving atmosphere. The author's comparison to being underwater in a milky sea emphasizes the disorientating and suffocating nature of driving through the blizzard.
Furthermore, the mention of reduced visibility to zero amplifies the sense of helplessness and vulnerability. This quote portrays a treacherous and frightening experience that can make readers feel unsettled by highlighting the potential dangers associated with severe weather conditions while driving.