Geography and environment can play a major role in who we are as people. In prologue of “Let the Great world Spin” by Colum McCann, A dark figure can be seen standing along the ledge of the observation deck in Tower B of the World Trade Center on an early August morning.
This draws in a crowd of hundreds. This large crowd proved to be very opinionated. Being that it wasn’t for certain if the man was a jumper, I was amazed at how many people were said to be shouting for the man to jump, and others said not too, while the rest stared in awe.
The setting of the beginning of chapter one then begins in a family home in Dublin, Ireland. There is a much different vibe than that of New York City. In the prologue everything is near chaotic. In the beginning of chapter one I had a feeling of tranquility which gave me a sense of security. This soon turned to grief and sorrow for the loss of the brother’s mother and Corrigan’s irrational behavior.
In chapter one, I could relate to much of what Ciaran and Corrigan had experienced. I have two older sisters and although none of us share the same father our mother raised us as a single parent throughout areas of the Bronx. That being said, of all the characters introduced so far I feel a close emotional connection with Corrigan. Many of his character traits and actions remind me of somebody close to me. He always struggled with substance abuse and tried to make others happy, without any regard for himself. Maybe it works as a coping method to not take any blame for his own actions, or maybe it’s just a way of forgetting them all together. Either way, I feel reading this book has so far given me a different perspective and insight on issues I see in my own life.
