Wu Ting
How would you explain ‘the increments of dust’ in the context? The excavation lay open: a mass grave, protected under a temporary tin roof set on posts. Down a few dirt steps, there they were, skeletons of men lying in a row like fish in a box, their narrow, dust-colored bones only faintly lighter than the reddish dirt in which they were embedded. Oddly, the skeletons were perfectly flattened, as if all these humans had been pressed under a hot iron. It took a moment for the eye to adjust to the increments of dust, discerning the human from nonhuman elements. How would you explain ‘the increments of dust’ in the context? Thanks! PS: It’s from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.
Jul 28, 2014 7:43 AM
Answers · 1
I would say it means something like 'the small variations in coloration and depth' of the dust. Basically, it means that it was really hard to see what you were looking at because everything was covered in so much dust that you had to look carefully to see the skeletons.
July 28, 2014
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!