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anachronistic-figure
Wallace is portrayed as a man out of time, embodying both greater and lesser qualities than those around him, and evoking discomfort and secret shame.
1 chapter across 1 book
Way Station (1963)Clifford D. Simak
Chapter 5
In this chapter, Lewis and Hardwicke discuss the mysterious inscription on a tombstone, which defies all known languages and symbols except for the infinity symbol. They also explore the enigmatic figure of Wallace, a man who seems out of place and time, carrying a rifle yet never using it, and who inspires a complex mixture of fear, familiarity, and shame among his neighbors. The chapter ends with Hardwicke's shocked reaction to photographs of a grave beneath the inscrutable headstone, deepening the mystery.