Pet Pt. 1 Reflection

While reading, I found Pet a fascinating story in the first half of the narrative. The world that Emezi creates a utopian sort of world in which all the issues of the past have been vanquished and everyone lives in piece. Interestingly, Emezi uses somewhat biblical imagery in the creation of this utopia, describing those who brought justice and goodness to the new world as “angels” and the those who did evil, who created the dystopian world of the past, are “monsters.” 


What I found most interesting in this reading (apart from some of the religious imagery) was the different sensory descriptions and means of communications throughout the narrative. We’re first introduced to this with Jam’s use of sign language. Jam simply utilizes the best form of communication for her, which bypasses the need for sound and vocal expression. This is further explored with Pet, the creature that arises from Bitter’s painting. No speaking is required; it can simply communicate with Jam through what I assume is telepathy. And yet, Jam feels comfortable to voice with Pet: “She was voicing more than she normally would, but it felt okay” (40). During this initial sequence with Pet, we again focus on the auditory qualities of voices and communication. Emezi describes how Pet alters its voice from “a handful of nails dragging across the mirror” to “a hand dragged across the taut skin of a drum” (39). In Emezi’s exploration of sound and vocal communication, I recognize an added weight to vocalization. It’s more than simple soundwaves; it is material in a way we may not understand. Voices correspond to objects or contain a materiality often dedicated to things that occupy physical space.


As the story continues, I hope to trace Emezi’s use of vocalizations and a dedication to the deepening of sound. I think that descriptions such as Aloe’s “thick voice” point to a thickening of material experience; there’s a deepness that Emezi imbues into this world that grounds it and simultaneously lifts it into a different realm. I wonder how this relates to the constructions of this world—and perhaps the monsters and angels that inhabit it.  

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