Blog Post 2.1: An Effective Break
“And I expected, as the fissure closed, that my first wife would disappear.
I was wrong.”
This simple paragraph break is effective in Callahan’s short essay “Chimera” for a number of reasons.
The style of the second paragraph, a simple sentence, is a repetition of a style that he uses earlier in this section of his essay. This powerful and abrupt use of the short sentence creates a sense of a past reflection by the author; he has led the reader to believe one thing but then put an immediate stop to that thought process by contradicting himself. In this particular example, he tells us what he understands in the preceding paragraph, implying that time would heal wounds and the memories of his wife would fade away. By negating this statement with the phrase, “I was wrong”, Callahan is opening the essay to the explanation of this particular paragraph break and creating a sense of confusion to which the reader can relate. The final sentence allows for a smooth transition into the body of the essay and leaves the reader wanting to understand what it is that the author was so wrong about.
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