"Tracking By Possession"

Martin & Rose (2007: 176-7):

In relation to evaluation, the other tracking pattern we should look at is the frequent use of possessive reference connecting her second love to friends and relations and to his anguish and fear. Possessive reference is a key feature of the second Incident and Coda:

'operations'
'Now, now my darling. We are real policemen now.'
He and his friends would visit regularly
no other life than that of worry, sleeplessness, anxiety about his safety
And all that we as loved ones knew.. .was what we saw with our own eyes 

'repercussions'
After about three years with the special forces, our hell began
Sometimes he would just press his face into his hands and shake uncontrollably
He tried to hide his wild consuming fear, but I saw it.
I jolt awake from his rushed breathing
The terrible convulsions and blood-curdling shrieks of fear and pain from the bottom of his soul
I never knew. Never realised what was being shoved down his throat during the 'trips'
He's going to haunt me for the rest of my life if I leave him 

Coda
I end with a few lines that my wasted vulture said to me one night
The problem is in my head, my conscience.
There is only one way to be free of it. Blow my brains out. Because that’s where my hell is.

The extensive use of possessive reference in these phases focuses on the interpersonal relations between Helena, her man and their friends, and on her man’s relations to his body, his reactions and his consciousness.

Blogger Comments:

To be clear, textual reference "connects" a reference item to its referent. In the quoted text:

• my (darling) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• his (friends) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• his (safety) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• our (own eyes) refers anaphorically to loved ones
• our (hell) refers exophorically to the author and anaphorically to loved ones
• his (hands) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• his (wild consuming fear) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• his (rushed breathing) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• his (soul) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• his (throat) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• my (life) refers exophorically to the author
• my (wasted vulture) refers exophorically to the author
• my (head) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• my (conscience) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• my (brains) refers anaphorically to another policeman
• my (hell) refers anaphorically to another policeman

That is, reference alone does not "connect her second love to friends and relations and to his anguish and fear" and does not focus "on the interpersonal relations between Helena, her man and their friends, and on her man’s relations to his body, his reactions and his consciousness".