Bikeman: #4

As Tom Flynn continues his ride, he is faced with the aftermath of the towers falling and the struggles of human survival. Along with many other people, he feels as though his previous life is over and that a new chapter lies ahead of him. At times he believes he is going to die, and at others, he wonders how this experience will affect him in the future. He explains, “What will I feel? Who will I be, when I regain my life? Or will the great doors of life having closed once, not a slow creaking closing but the sudden slam shutting ever reopen” (56)? This feeling of not knowing what lies ahead is something that he feels throughout the story and is something that he is very afraid of. He does not understand what his future will be and he does not know how he will feel. He is unable to understand that he is a witness to the biggest terrorist attack in United States history.  At that time, he is unable to realize the effects that this incident will have on himself and on the country as a whole. The September 11^th attacks caused a nation who felt secure to suddenly feel as though anywhere they walked, they could potentially be in danger. The fear that this attack caused on the people of America overpowered their ability to think and operate normally. Through this book, I am able to understand the feelings that someone had while experiencing the incident with their own eyes. I can only imagine the effect that the attack had on a person because just by hearing about it through other sources I find myself greatly affected by the tragedy. As Tom attempts to escape death, he senses death in the air and everywhere he goes. He explains walking through the streets like being “on a blanket of death in mortal silence” (66).