Temptations of Two

I believe the theme of this passage is that other people open you up to new opportunities; Rogers' friend, Emily, makes her take risks that she otherwise wouldn't alone. For example, Rogers states that without Emily, she "...never would have left at seven-thirty alone, never would have paddled backward, or raced in the dark or ridden in the dark, or stood at Cheviot admiring the lights from the factory..." (166). These are all exciting opportunities Rogers would have missed if it were not for her friend. The title itself, The Temptations of Two, even describes the relationship between Emily and Susan Rogers: Emily tempts Rogers into taking risks.

A line from The Temptations of Two that really struck me as effective was when Rogers describes paddling in the water. She says, "River grass snags my paddles, so each dip is like treading, with my arms, in the thickest milkshake" (163). I could really imagine the effect of the river grass and how much the narrator had to strain to paddle. Another effective use of language that I really enjoyed was the haunting description of the river. Rogers recounts, "[t]he river, moving north with the tide, dragged with it large, blocky floes of ice that knocked against each other like ice cubes in a glass, only the sound was pitched higher..." (161). I could vividly imagine standing by the river, watching the ice floating by and hearing the squeaks of the ice. I found myself transported to the location the narrator described, and I really enjoyed the imagery.