"An appalling plash within two yards of him was followed by a loud, rushing sound, diminuendo, which seemed to travel back through the air to the fort and died in an explosion which stirred the very river to its deeps! A rising sheet of water curved over him, fell down upon him, blinded him, strangled him! The cannon had taken a hand in the game. As he shook his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the deflected shot humming through the air ahead, and in an instant it was cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond."
Chapter 3
This passage reminded me of the many trials we encounter in life. We have loud, hard and challenging obstacles we face. In this paragraph, Peyton is fighting for his life, although today we may not have to fight for our life every time, we have to fight to survive, learn, thrive, and essentially work hard to get what we hope to achieve. The word "diminuendo" means decrease in sound, which in this case I believe it has a double meaning. After the cannon shoots there is a silence, but additionally I think it represents the peace before the storm.
Here Peyton fights with every ounce of strength he has to attain his goal, which is staying alive. However, despite his efforts, Peyton dies in the end. Now our life is not near as drastic as Peyton's, but we do have smaller trials that end in an unfair outcome. We fail, lose friends, people get sick and die, this world is full of sin. In life, at times we try our hardest for an outcome in our favor, but sometimes things work out differently than we expect. It serves as a reminder that God is in control and His plan is good and perfect. What the Devil means for bad, God means for good and we can have joy in that.
