This line hit hard because grief comes in many forms. Each form has its own challenges, and I think being able to say that turning away from it, turning away from fear, sadness, loss, anger, can take away the better things in life. Letting those feelings eat away at you only takes, it never has anything to give.

It seems like this is showing him reaching the final stage of grief which is acceptance. Grief is something that looks so different and is deeply personal for any individual. The fact that he is looking at these paintings and is now looking back at that incident and thinking his friend didn't hate him but was instead saying goodbye is really impactful.

This is terrifying and I get why he wouldn't want to be near any body of water after that event. Guilt can eat you alive when untreated and it's sad that this fear has taken over his life.

When I read this, in the most non-funny way possible, I got a mental image from the Youtube animated series "Llamas with Hats" where Carl says "That is what forgiveness sounds like--screaming and then silence". That feeling of knowing you cannot do anything but have to live with what you saw is hard to deal with ,but you have to figure out what forgiveness looks like for yourself so you can move on.

Substantial Note:

I really like this section for a few reasons. I think the language the author uses in conjunction with the imagery he has been using throughout this story really helps the reader to feel like this is a surreal experience. Some people may have never experienced a typhoon before, but by describing the aftermath as feeling further away from your life or how the surrounding shores look different despite it still looking very much the same, it can help giv4e some perspective. I like the imagery of an eye in a storm because I think it adds another sense of unease for disasters like these, like you are being watched but not by something or someone who is similar to you, more like something that is beyond your understanding. I like the language he uses here because it truly feels like I am being told a story as opposed to just reading one if that makes sense.

I can imagine that this felt a bit odd, like you were being watched by something higher than yourself. The way in which people view humanity in other things like nature is something I love seeing in stories because I think it is just really cool to think about how as a species, we try to find meaning in everything.

I think describing the sound against the wall as dry and sand-like is interesting since typhoons are wet. To have a natural disaster that leaves wetness in its wake be described as leaving dry sounds is interesting.

I think this is good foreshadowing because this is such a specific yet mysterious way to describe someone. It gives the sense of knowing something is there but like the author described, you don't have the words to explain it.

I think describing the surrounding people and environment near the man telling a story lets you know what kind of atmosphere they are in. It isn't just a man telling a story, there is wind and harsh weather and people huddled together as he is telling this story which is another story.