Pale Fire: A Magazine in 12 Projects Group Three | Page 66

Jefferson verbally “fought” Shade’s poem states that
against Prose “[all] colors made [him] hap-
traditionally lacks this tool, py: even gray” (34). The com-
but Nabokov toys with this mentary to this line then in-
idea by creating associa- troduces Gradus, the man
tions between certain char- who seemingly kills Shade
acters that suggest they at the end of the novel -
may be, if not actually the who also is associated with
same character, “played by” the word “gray,” evening go-
the same person. ing by the names Jakob
Alexander).
Gradus, Jacques de Grey,
and James de Gray (77). This
To achieve this association,
could
specific words are repeated
one
mean their fates are inter-
tickles the reader’s brain in-
twined. But they are un-
to thinking about previously
details.
they’re
“actor,” or it could simply
in a way that subconsciously
mentioned
mean
doubtedly connected.
The
strongest example is the
character of John Shade, Nabokov also literally writers
who is associated with the that characters “resemble”
word “gray” - specifically his other characters - not afraid
“abundant gray hair” (20), to hit readers over the head
how he is Kinbote’s “gray with the word at all. Kinbote
poet” (74), how line 29 of says that “Hazel Shade re-
66