comment on language and meaning

Mastai uses language to provide a window into Tom’s head and to imply certain emotional truths. Tom switches between past and present tense depending on how he feels about his situation. Sometimes he describes his old world in present tense, implying that he does not truly believe that it is gone, and that he thinks perhaps he can find a way back to it. Sometimes though, he discusses it in past tense, which indicates that he feels like it is completely gone, and there is no way back to it.