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This global awareness adds richness: Celia McGee writes that the depth of the stories in Middleman "comes from the sudden interference of history and tragedy, and the exigencies of politics and war" (22); certainly such an intersection is what gives "Orbiting" its powerful core. From the concern Renata's family -- and Renata -- feels about Ro's name, clothing, speech, or looks, the story suddenly plunges into the particular history of the man -- a history that includes torture, jail, and escape, a history that forces the DeMarco family to reexamine its own rituals at the same time that it alleviates any fear we may have that Ro will be assimilated as Brent has been. At story's end, Renata elides Ro with America in her mind: "Ro is Clint Eastwood, scarred hero and survivor" (252).
Approximate Word count = 515 Approximate Pages = 2.1 (250 words per page double spaced)
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