Fall line

A strong theme in this story, which resonates in our own contemporary, social media-driven world, is the dangerous repercussions for a person who is obsessed with remaining famous and relevant. Ronnie is angry at the world for forgetting him. He disappeared after his accident and lost a significant amount of fan base, which is a consequence he cannot deal with. He is consistently worried about Third Eye and how many people are watching him. He is angry that his agent dropped him, and he is even more bitter at the fact that he feels forced into a job he feels too good to work at. The reader can see this feeling of resentment affect him negatively when he angers Angie, his girlfriend. Ronnie exclaims, “I was from a place built off those blueprints, where sprinklers went off in the morning and whole neighborhoods became ghost towns during work hours. I’d look out at all those empty houses, the exhausted adults returning home, the whole sorry bunch living at low throttle, and it seemed like death. I wanted to see the stars over Kilimanjaro . . .” (107). Angie immediately defends her hard-working self and family. She resents Ronnie’s attitude that the only life worth living is one where everyone is watching you on Third Eye and sending supportive emojis. When the announcement is made that the ski resort will shut down, Angie’s first reaction is to go somewhere where she can help other people. She is a very different person from the entitled Ronnie Hawks.