Pale Fire: Illustrated Sports Illustrated Sports Pale Fire Journal | Page 92

variety of meals he had consumed earlier (280). No one besides Gradus himself
should know that intimately the digestive troubles he had, implying Gradus is
deeply linked to Charles and may even be another persona of his. Equally telling
is the section mentioned in the first paragraph of this very analysis, where
Charles fears his future may be “in a madhouse” (301). According to Kinbote,
Gradus claimed to have been an “escapee from an asylum”, drawing the two
even closer (299). Gradus indicates to the reader a darker side of Kinbote, and
further opens the possibility of Jack Grey being none other than Charles him-
self. Granted, this comparison also feeds into the narrative that Kinbote is the
insane author of the entire manuscript, but we needn’t give that line of thought
any more fodder.
Throughout this section, the strings transition from mainly providing har-
monic filler to taking up the main melody. This combination of plucked and
bowed strings brings to the mind another interesting point. John Shade had “a
wobbly heart” and had to be mindful of drink and high altitude as a result (22-
23, 182). Shade’s health was in question for the entire novel, with concerns of
medical problems a recurring theme. Therefore, when he is shot “through his
92