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symbolic-environment
The tunnel and Stanley Park settings serve as metaphors for Hackworth's mental journey and re-emergence into reality.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Diamond Age (1996)Neal Stephenson
Chapter 72
Hackworth awakens from a disorienting sexual encounter with an unknown partner, realizing he has repeatedly broken a significant promise to Gwen. He navigates a confusing, tunnel-like environment that leads him back to Stanley Park, where he notices physical changes in himself and his robotic horse Kidnapper, symbolizing the passage of time and his altered state.