Zachary Lee Raulston English IV January 13, 2014

If on a winters night a tra eler! "ro#$t %&

'his $ainting (y Rene )agritte is *uite fitting to (e a co er for the first +0 $ages of If on a winters night a traveler, as it incor$orates (oth literal an, artistic ele#ents fro# the no el- .irst off, the conte/t of the $ainting is ery a(nor#al, as it ,e$icts a #otionless setting of a fire$lace in a li ing roo#, with a #irror an, a cloc0 sitting on to$1owe er, within the fire$lace, there is no fire2 rather, there is a loco#oti e see#ingly floating in #i,3air an, co#ing out of the fire$lace- 'his $lacing of an o(4ect that ,oesnt (elong in its surroun,ings $arallels If on a winters nights unusual $lacing of stories within the no el- 'he o(4ects in the $ainting also correlate with #any of the ele#ents of If on a winters night a traveler- 5hen you (egin to rea, the no el, you start rea,ing a(out yourself!rea,ing- 'his self3reflection is re$resente, (y the #irror that hangs a(o e the fire$lace- In the no el, the $assing of ti#e for the rea,er is constantly interru$te, (y the first cha$ters of arious anec,otes- 'he cloc0 on to$ of the fire$lace re$resents the $assing of ti#e in the rea,ers worl,2 as it $asses nor#ally while the train in the fire$lace is see#ingly not affecte,- .inally, the no el o$ens with the narrator getting off a train- 'he train in the fire$lace is an e#(o,i#ent of not only the first

cha$ter, (ut the rest of the ,ifferent stories- 'he stories inter4ect in the #ain story of the rea,er, #uch li0e how the train interru$ts this or,inary scene of a li ing roo#s fire$laceIf there was no train in the $ainting, it woul, (e 4ust a (oring ,e$iction of a fire$lace- 1owe er, the train is what (rings the $ainting to life an, gi es it characterLi0ewise, in 6al inos no el, without the arious first cha$ters of ,ifferent stories the no el woul, 4ust (e a (lan, tale of a rea,er an, his (oo0s-