She slid closer to the wall to let the little girl slip under the coverlet. The bed sheets and Pohpoh’s pillow held the odour of stale camphor, eucalyptus and turpentine. They clung to each other, inhaling the pleasantly sour blend of their rubbing oil and each other’s talcum-sweet scent of sleep, night sweat and stale breath. (p 79)
This quote when reading stuck me because of the language. The use of the letter s is extremely strong throughout the passage with similar words such as slid, slip, sheets, stale, sour, sweet, sleep, and sweat. All of these words can then be placed in their own individual groups. Slid and slip being one. Then sheets and sleep. Then stale, sour, sweet, and sweat are all words that can be used to describe the body. These groups help the reader to read between the lines and see the sensualness present here in the novel, without showing it. Another grouping that is odd however, are talcum, camphor, eucalyptus and turpentine-not a combination that one would normally put together. Perhaps this represents an unlikely alliance or creation. The passage also suggests the deep desire for closeness, a wanting to be loved by using words such as closer, held, and clung. Each of these words can be used to describe the need to breath and take it all in, even if it may be sour or stale because it is still a closeness at the end of the day. The characters want love wherever they can get it.
The passage also suggests the theme of age because of phrasing such as rubbing oil which is something that someone older would. However a child would use (or someone would use for them) talcum powder to lock in their moisture because their skin is sensitive. It is showing the parallels and different stages between the two but somehow they still come together, despite it being unnatural. The sentence is clearing trying to compare the two just as the sentence with eucalyptus and turpentine is; both have a very distinctive scent and use-making them an abnormal combination. Scent is the main theme here which makes sense because scent is the sense that is most associated with memories and can help people recall past events. All of these scents and descriptive words are being used together to create the moment to the reader. The author uses strong reactionary words such as inhale and ordour on purpose to place us within the scene. At the same time it leaves the reader with a stale taste after reading it because of the simplicity and innocence of two sisters cuddling in bed attempting to escape life, if only for a moment.