Sentence Analysis in "The Comet"

“He has dared -- all, to rescue me,” she [Julia] said quietly, “And I -- thank him -- much.” But she did not look at him again. 

This sentence is extremely emblematic of the events and conflicts presented in W.E.B. DuBois’s “The Comet.” In this scene, Julia has recently been rescued by Jim, and the two have just been reunited with the rest of the world, proving that the comet didn’t kill everyone (as they had originally thought), but only the inhabitants of New York. However, their reunion -- which should be triumphant -- is bittersweet, as Jim and Julia are instantly reminded of how racist everyone around them is, shown through the way that they instinctively blame Jim for harming Julia, when, in fact, he has taken care of her throughout the day. The entire meaning of the story is conveyed in these two heartbreaking sentences. 

The dialogue in this moment is extremely important to the story, and this emphasis is exaggerated through the use of dashes. Dashes are typically used less frequently than other forms of punctuation, and whenever they are implemented, they are used as a way to tell the reader to pay attention to whatever is within the dashes. In this case, the dashes between words show Julia’s hesitation to get the words out of her mouth to thank Jim for rescuing her, something that should be easy to say, if she wasn’t feeling pressured by the racist crowd around her. Her words have several interpretations, and it’s notable that these are the last words Julia ever says in the story. The fact that she never speaks again could be suggesting that she and Jim never see each other after this moment, and they go back to living their pre-comet segregated lifestyles. Julia’s dialogue also suggests that although she was finally beginning to realize Jim’s value as a human being and friend, once she is surrounded by racist white people again, she is afraid to say how she truly feels about him. Another interpretation could be that she is immediately overcome by peer pressure and reverts back to her old way of thinking. Indeed, she doesn’t even look at Jim when she thanks him, and allows herself to be rushed away instead. I think both interpretations are possible, but the first is more likely, because of the pauses in her words. 

Julia sounds like she’s trying to choose her words very carefully so she can thank Jim without making anyone in the scene upset with either of them. She’s faced with two conflicting sides, and needs to make a statement that won’t offend anyone, because she is pressured by the mob to say “the right thing.” Based on the rowdy mob’s bloodlust, she could also be trying to protect Jim by allowing both of them to leave the scene as quickly as possible before any violence breaks out. At the same time, through her personal character growth in the story, she’s realized how good of a person Jim is and wants to acknowledge that, but she’s afraid to do so now that she is surrounded by so many racist people who are threatening even to lynch Jim on sight because they aren’t willing to believe he could have had good intentions. 

In terms of tone, these two sentences have an abrupt shift between them. It seems like DuBois is trying to show two different worlds: one with, and one without racism. These conflicting worlds represent the overarching theme of the story: the question of whether to truly eradicate racism, most of the earth’s population would have to be wiped out. In the first sentence, Julia’s quote shows that she is grateful to Jim for helping her, even if she’s afraid to say much about it now that her father has returned. Julia was exposed to an entirely new world when she was able to meet and converse with Jim alone, away from societal expectations. The second sentence, “But she did not look at him again,” shows that Julia recognizes she is back in a world of racism again, and isn’t able to speak freely about a man who risked his life (as evidenced by the crowd’s immediate cries to lynch him) in order to help a white woman. Stylistically, that second sentence also functions as a quick, short communication of ideas that contrasts vividly with the hesitant, drawn-out thought process of the first sentence.  The obvious difference in style from the first sentence to the second sentence re-emphasizes the contrast between the two worlds with and without racism. Overall, Julia’s final words in the story serve to represent the overarching theme in a concise way and sum up the story in only a few words. 

Works Cited

DuBois, W.E.B. "The Comet." Uni High English: The Short Story, pp. 13-17.