There are moments that last forever; moments that completely change your life and define who you become. In the second chapter of Cory Doctorow’s book, Little Brother, Doctorow cleverly depicts an everlasting and defining moment in Marcus Yallow’s life. Just as Marcus and his friends are about to uncover the next clue to a game they are dedicated to, their lives are changed forever. Doctorow produces this effect by changing the laidback and unconcerned style of his sentences to an abrupt, immediate and urgent one. He uses the words “sickening lurch” to describe that nauseating feeling you get right before a catastrophe transpires. The sentences that follow return to the eerily slow-paced and calm style, stretching out the mere seconds in which all the events occurred, into a long description of everything that ensued in them. Doctorow uses words such as “roaring,” “punishing,” and “sirens” to paint both a visual and aural scene as well as create the intensity of the explosion.
This moment eventually comes to dominate the course of Marcus Yallow’s life, defining his goal of defying the Department of Homeland Security and his struggle to attain his right to privacy.