In this passage from Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing, the main character goes through a dramatic experience of having to bury a wolf. With the use of his solemn and somber tone, his visuals created by imagery, and the syntax of the passage, we are able to see how much this experience affects the protagonist.
Imagery is the most powerful tool used in this passage. The narrator describes the settings with phrases such as "tall escarpments" and "dark shapes of the rimlands." He also describes his bloodied clothes, and the wolf that he carried. Accompanying the visual imagery is the imagery to create sounds. The howls and "yapping" of the coyotes are mentioned throughout the passage, as the main character can hear them all around him. The main character touches the wolf's body, closes it's eyes that "gave no light." All these images are created for the reader so as to understand how much of an impact this is to the main character. These descriptions and details are so articulate, trying to get the reader to see the whole picture in and out.
The syntax and mood of the passage also helps to convey the feelings going on inside the main character. There narrator uses polysyndeton to show all the things the main character does to take care of the wolf's body, who seems to be have some strong connection to the main character. He then goes on to reflect and ponder on what the wolf's life was like: "running in the mountains, running in the starlight where the grass was wet," with a "rich matrix of creatures." This brings the reader into the mind of the main character, and his sad thoughts, sad that the wolf lost its life when it enjoyed so much. It's letting the readers follow his thoughts just as he is making them.
With these literary techniques one feels the sadness and awe the main character feels. The wolf's death means so much to this character, and McCarthy's intent was to convey this meaning to the audience.
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