Passage’s Dreamlike Writing Style

            Passage is truly written in a unique style that makes you feel as if you were dreaming. Passage, written by Khary Lazarre-White, follows a black teenager nicknamed Warrior as he tries to live his life in a time filled with oppression. One thing I found very important about the story was that it addresses black oppression, but I was even more intrigued by its special writing style. Passage’s use of various unrealistic descriptions and lack of plot truly makes the story feel like something different. I don’t mean different as in it has unique story elements, I mean it’s different as in it gives off a totally different feeling when reading.

            One thing that contributes to Passage’s dreamlike writing style is the use of irrational descriptions. One example of an irrational description occurs on page 36. After blue soldiers beat a young boy, the boy “. . . calmly nodded his head and then turned his face up to look at her. As he opened his eyelids, the woman released a deep, low scream. She saw that where his beautiful brown eyes had once been, there was nothing but bloody, empty holes.” This boy appears later in completely unrealistic scenarios, such as appearing in an empty subway station and then disappearing the next moment. Another example occurs on page 39 and 40 when Warrior hears the “cries of wolves” and is moments later gripped by a claw. Then after Warrior and the claw exchange some words, the claw immediately releases Warrior and the wolves disappear, suggesting that the scene did not occur in Warrior’s reality. These scenes make the story unfeasible, thus making the story seem like something out of the ordinary, such as a dream. These crazy descriptions not only made the story feel dreamlike, but they made the story thrilling. When the young boy lost his eyes, I was genuinely disgusted at the way the blue soldiers acted and when the claw gripped Warrior, I was scared. However, these scenes do bring up an important question: are these scenes even real? If not, why do they occur? The scene where the police beat the young boy probably was real, but the later scenes in which he appears in did not seem real at all. And, I don’t think the claw and wolves were real either. Perhaps the unrealistic scenes are hallucinations or metaphors I’m failing to understand. But then again, if the author were to explain them, then the story would be less dreamlike, so the lack of explanation may have been an intentional choice.

The lack of plot also contributes to the story’s dreamlike writing style. If we think about it, dreams don’t ever have any real plot. Everything seems impossible and unconnected. A similar description fits Passage. I like to say it’s more of an experience rather than a story. The book just consists of Warrior roaming around the streets of Harlem and Brooklyn, trying to live his normal life with the occasional unrealistic scene. There was no real plot development except for the ending when Warrior realizes his purpose. One could say that the lack of plot makes the book worse, but I think it’s a subjective thing and I personally still found it interesting because it’s just so different and I think the ending ties everything together to some extent anyways. However, I can definitely see why others may not like it.

            Overall, I personally thought the book was a great read. The dreamlike writing style is definitely a preferential thing. If you like things that are grounded with realistic explanations, this book is probably not for you. However, I think many people will at least find the writing style amusing. Passage also addresses an important issue: racism. I quite liked one part of the story on page 112 where Warrior writes to his teacher, “All of our souls contain rage . . . Be assured: we wear masks, you do not see the rage in our eyes . . . You want to know what I am? Look beneath the mask. You want to know what I have seen? Look into my eyes. You want to know why I am so loud? They have tried to silence my voice since I came out screaming . . . You walk to live, I walk to survive.” Although it’s definitely exaggerated for today, we have to keep in mind that the story takes place in 1993. And plus, racism is still present today and I think this book can teach a lot about how people in America should be treating blacks or minorities in general even. I would rate this book a 4/5.

-Luke You