Close reading: “Innocent amusement”

“This George Talboys was the life and soul of the vessel; nobody knew who or what he was, or where he came from, but every body liked him. He sat at the bottom of the dinner-table , and assisted the captain in doing the honors of the friendly meal. He opened the champagne bottles, and took wine with every one present; he told funny stories, and led the laugh himself with such a joyous peal, that the man must have been a churl who not have laughed for pure sympathy. He was a capital hand at speculation and vingt-et-un, and all the merry round games, which kept the little circle round the cabin lamp so deep  in innocent amusement, that a hurricane might have howled overhead without their hearing it; but he freely owned that he had no talent for whist, and that he didn’t know a knight from a castle upon the chessboard” (17-18).

This passage is a description of George Talboys. George’s character is somewhat controversial: one seems to be able to find both strength and weakness in him. His nature is depicted as likable and humorous, and his appearance is laid back. He was “the life and soul of the vessel,” although no one knew who he was. George was a mysterious character throughout the novel and distanced himself. He was confident and took over by opening the champagne bottles and telling funny stories and led “the laugh himself” because no one else understood. People realized he was not a smart or intellectual human but George “freely owned that he had no talent.” Although no one knew of him he still took control but in a laid-back fashion. The phrase “innocent amusement” stuck out to me as important. George was amused at the little things that were not usually amusing to people of his age, due to his innocent behavior. He was a “capital hand at speculation and vingt-et-un, and all the merry round games” are usually associated with the younger crowd. There is a separation between George and the people around him.  The sentences are long, but composed of smaller sentences broken up by several comma’s. George is present in the beginning of the book then fades away but is still being talk about. The overuse of comma’s are the breaks in his character and short sentences are the brief instances we see of him developing throughout the novel. Most of the sentences start off with “He” following a verb. The verbs pertained to what he was doing on the vessel, whether it was opening the wine, telling stories, sitting at the table, and assisting the captain. The adjectives in the passage pertain to his overall description. The syntax in the passage was simple, relating back to his laid back manor, but it was also ornate relating back to his mysteriousness. The beginning of the passage shows how George stands out on the vessel by assisting the captain and telling stories to people he does not even know which shows his confidence, and bravery. The image of the “cabin lamp so deep in innocent amusement” was striking, as it was the only real figurative language used in the passage. George makes himself heard and is personable to others, yet stays hidden.