db hut

A hut is minimal shelter.  A hut might provide a bit of safety against the elements —some, but not much.

A mountain is uneven and sky breaking. Notice that the title uses “the” and not “a.”  This means that the focus is on the only mountain or the one of greatest significance.  It is “bleak and barren.”  It is behind the narrator’s house as in “I’ve got your back.”  Does that mean protection or threat here?    A house is more substantial than a cottage, or cabin, or a hut. The narrator leaves the somewhat safety of the home to climb and climb the mountain with its fearful challenges. See how facing a constrictive society’s laws and mores can be fearful? Typically, these are not stagnant, but always remain punitive.

Ever heard of “running the gauntlet”?  That derives from Anglo-Saxon and Nordic traditions, but far earlier were the First Americans’ punishment which was to run between two parallel lines of warriors who struck the outlier with clubs, ropes, fists, sticks, and weapons.  The theory was if the person got to the end, he was allowed to live.  Remember the Witch of Pungo?

Consider that the narrator walks upon what must be hot stones with flames flickering between them - another type of trial.

So ascending (generally a synonym for achievement or striving) in a wasteland (no supports) over flame (trial) is a challenge to be met and overcome.  A severe problem is that not only is there no support at home, the antithesis is there.   This narrator is practically alone in a mighty effort.

So, in short order, the reader is situated in place and tone. And then nightmarish circumstances take hold. Nightmares build from experiences; no one is a “blank slate.” In this story, the images are clear and their relevancies are political. This political does not allow dissention. Deviate from the norm and “pay the price.”  That is its own nightmare: a nightmare where peoples cannot disagree in reason. This is the Communist state against which the author writes.

Note:  This has been carefully written not to use gender.  Past classes are somewhat united in that males associate the main character as male and females see the person as female.

Note: The clichés in this reflection are intentionally used.  If a phrase easily rolls into your language, it often is a cliché.  If in doubt, research.  Try to use fresh thinking, appropriate and original to your writing.  Otherwise, place it in quotes to show your reader that its use is planned.