"Pain is too soft a word for the reaction. Crushing was more accurate, an intolerable squeezing in the chest and the hips, though I didn't have measurements to support the claim. The Marshall Symptom appliance, bolted to the sidewalk outside the medical center on Fifth Street and visited by a procession of gray-faced neighbors, was meant to detect just how slushed our insides were from too much speech, how blighted we'd become from the language toxin."
This passage stuck out to me because it describes the powerful effect that children's speech has on people. However, what I liked the most about it was how Sam emphasized the effect it had on the way society acted as a whole. The complexion's of people on the street had changed and the fact that body language becomes a much more powerful way of communication were all interesting parts about this scene and the book in general that I think should be pointed out. Another aspect of the story that I found intriguing was the idea that Sam and Claire had to weigh their own well-being versus their love for their daughter Esther. This scene starts to describe to the reader how different life is with this "disease" of sorts. I think the theme that this scene demonstrates is definitely relevant today, but is manifested on a different level. For example, I think this plays a role when it comes to financial decisions that families have to make. Sometimes parents make tremendous sacrifices so that their children can have a certain lifestyle that originally wouldn't be possible without financial cutbacks in another area.
I remember this passage really well. The part that really stuck out to me was the "intolerable squeezing in the chest and the hips." This imagery allows me to understand what the adults of this particular world feel when they hear children speak. Ben Marcus uses really effective imagery to describe the scenes, feelings, actions, etc. of his characters. The idea for this book is so compelling and I am finding it to be very intriguing as I go along. It makes me wonder what his inspirations were in writing it, and I would love to read more about how this plot was conceived. Your analysis of the passage is certainly thought-provoking and I agree with your ideas about parents sacrificing or making difficult decisions for the sake of their children.
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