“The narrative voice … enters a heavy, dreamlike mode. When the all clear finally sounds and the hum of the metropolis resumes, a central character, who has been venturing a flirtation with another passenger, is jolted into awareness that the possibilities unfolding ‘while the city was sealed off’ cannot belong to real like. Yet a form of life did surface: however fleetingly, …enabling a different kind of humanity to emerge” (Puchner, 2012, p. 498).
“Sealed off” by Zhang Ailing is referred to as a psychological fiction where dreams and desires surface. How does the narrative language, description, dialogue, and repetition create the illusion of reality? Be sure to share a quote from the story to support your discussion.