SPACE

SPACE

In this part of the paper you will find some information on the element of space in the Sorrell´s hypertext commented. Also we must do a difference between Internal space & External space.

Internal space. Makes reference at the location where narrative takes. We could consider three basic places where the different actions take place:

BUFORD, SOUTH CAROLINA
All story takes place in a little town located in South Carolina; it is Buford. Many times the author use expressions like ´this goddam hick town´ or ´southern town´ to make some reference. Its population reaches 2.000 people. ´The main street of town, that´s US146, comes up from Columbia (South Carolina´s capital and situated at 30 miles northwest of the little town), ventually hits Charleston. 55 zone till you hit town, then it drops to 35 couple minutes after you hit the city limits.´ The robbers plan to take that road as their possible route to escape. We know the places of the town via flashbacks or the different characters´ positions. The town has a shopping center, an abandoned rail depot and also in downtown there are buildings (one of these is the bank).

Reading the hypertext we know how conservative the population is. The best example is when the new Chief Loy arrives to the town from Charlotte North Carolina police department. Nobody wants him because he is black but only McKenry Sr. supports him. ´A black man be chief of police in this town about the time Michael Jackson get elected president.´ It shows actually that despite being written in the mid-90s mentality of the population of southern united states is very retrograde.

THE BANK

The plot is concerned at this place. In fact, the first scene takes place here, in the Farmers Community Bank at downtown of Buford. ´It was smack downtown, two doors away from the police station.´ One of the characters Mo Rosen (the jew) describes it too well. He says: ´ Bank layout's pretty simple. One door in front, one in back. Back door's locked, of course. Counter runs along the back wall, facing the front door. Got the vault in the back left corner, three offices and a bathroom running along the back wall behind the counter.´ When Teddy and Mo leave the bank they are ´walking out toward the car´ and Ed Lampier is ´waiting out in the car´.

On the other hand we know that opposite the bank there is a parking where bank´s costumers park and the police during the heist set up.

The president of the bank is Roland McKenry Jr. with his flashy costumes who helps to improve the security of the bank when he installs a new security system based on video cameras and silent alarms (they can be activated by pushing a pedal under the desk), 6 weeks before the heist.

The bank has only suffered a couple of heists before the new one but McKenry Sr. got the robbers did not get the loot.

SPRING LAKE PLANTATION
´Spring Lake Cove project´ or ´Grandiose country living´ is a place created for the rich people from the north to escape from the big city lifestyle. ´Magnifificent wooded terrain, the meticulously planned links golf course, and spacious and richly appointed houses…´, ´without the big city price´.

In another part of the story, the author describes it in more detail. The streets are very clean, the houses are huge, with "very even, very green grass." Through Mo’s eyes, the buildings had steep roofs that looked like they were shingled in copper, tall windows with half circles on top, the walls were stucco-like painted with neutral colors. Spring Lake Plantation also happens to be the site of the house fire caused as a diversion for the bank robbery. The robbers chose this place because it is on the other side of town from the bank, that´s why police have to go over there and ´abandone´ the security of the bank.

On the other hand there is another place that it is mentioned during the reading like the CCI (Columbia Correctional Institute), where the major part of the robbers met themselves.

The mission of the Columbia Correctional Institution is to protect the public by detaining adult male felons committed by State Courts to the Department of Corrections and readying these men for custody reduction and eventual reintegration into society. Protection of the public is both an immediate and long-range focus, as virtually all inmates will eventually be released. Through a philosophy of strict and constructive treatment, both perspectives are met.

The Columbia Correctional Institution encompasses 110 acres of land. Within the perimeter, there are ten living units, each containing 50 cells and one 150-bed "barracks" unit currently housing minimum security inmates. In addition to the living complexes, the physical plant of the institution includes a large visiting room, chapel, meeting rooms, health services area, staff offices, an intake and reception area, canteen, laundry, main kitchen, library, recreation field and gymnasium, an industry building, school, and vocational education workshops.

You can observe different explicit references in the text that help you to find a specific conext for them.

External space. It is the space distribution on screen.

We observe that the text follows a linear structure. The background in all screens is a neutral colour (white) and this fact makes the reading easily to follow.

The kind of letter is understandable.

There are not images or audio. The links appear like words highlighted in blue.