In the story, “The Comet” I felt a great sense of anxiety as I read this. How awful it must be to witness the end of the world. The great loneliness that Jim felt before finding Julia.
In the beginning of the story, I couldn’t help but think of Danielewski’s House of Leaves. The description that DuBois used when Jim, the messenger was in the vault, or sub basement, or records room he was room gave me the same feeling of loneliness and anxiety. Although Danielewski had a great many more pages to make me this way, DuBois did a fine job of describing the darkness without being overly wordy.
I really enjoyed the breaking of social barriers. Although it took the end of New York for two people, well one really, to realize that a man is a man regardless of skin color, race, creed, or religion. And when Julia’s father arrives, although she is sympathetic to Jim, you can’t help but feel that no matter the outcome, the social barriers that were broken were immediately repaired the minute her father called him “nigger.” Also, the man calling for Jim’s lynching certainly didn’t help.