Nick Murphy---Post Two

The aside that caught my eye in particular would have to be the one in which Bryson describes Deliverance, the 1970 novel about hikers in northern Georgia that was later made into a movie. The aside is sparked when Katz and Bryson are standing alone in a motel parking lot in north Georgia after being dropped off by a couple in a truck. Bryson spells out the basic plot of the novel as the two of them wait to seen about their rooms.
I found this digression to be an amusing one as I have seen the movie version of Deliverance, yet I don’t believe it really adds anything to the story itself. The average book would have mentioned Deliverance to make a point about his thoughts at the time when the two comrades were standing in the motel parking lot. The aside’s overall value is not very high, though it does not prove to be fatal to the storyline being told at the time.
On the other hand, however, this brief description of Deliverance puts the situation of the characters into perspective for readers while also presenting quite a realistic occurrence: most people relate frightening memories/thoughts to situations in which they are by themselves. This offers readers a chance to relate to Bryson as he is showing a very common behavior of the average Joe. Of course it’s also nice because Bryson attempts to fill in readers about the storyline of Deliverance with which he is assuming his audience is unfamiliar.
So, when examining this quick departure from the main plot, I conclude that it is indeed amusing, yet unnecessary towards the overall plot of the story.