▁corners ▁of ▁people ' s ▁lives ." ▁Mc E wan ▁said ▁himself , ▁" The ▁march ▁gathered ▁not ▁far ▁from ▁my ▁house , ▁and ▁it ▁bother ed ▁me ▁that ▁so ▁many ▁people ▁seemed ▁so ▁thr illed ▁to ▁be ▁there ". < ref ▁name =' D unning '> D unning , ▁Pen el ope , ▁The ▁Master ▁of ▁Liter ary ▁Men ace ] ▁The ▁Irish ▁Times ▁( 5 ▁February ▁ 2 0 0 5 ) ▁Retrieved ▁ 1 0 ▁March ▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁subscription ▁required </ ref > ▁The ▁character isation ▁of ▁Per ow ne ▁as ▁an ▁intellig ent , ▁self - aware ▁man : ▁" .. a ▁habit ual ▁observer ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁m ood s ' ▁[ who ▁is ▁given ▁to ▁rever ies ▁about ▁his ▁mental ▁processes ," ▁allows ▁the ▁author ▁to ▁explicitly ▁set ▁out ▁this ▁theme . ▁▁ ▁" It ' s ▁an ▁ill usion ▁to ▁believe ▁himself ▁active ▁in ▁the ▁story . ▁Does ▁he ▁think ▁he ' s ▁changing ▁something , ▁watching ▁news ▁program mes , ▁or ▁lying ▁on ▁his ▁back ▁on ▁the ▁so fa ▁on ▁Sunday ▁afternoon , ▁reading ▁more ▁opinion ▁columns ▁of ▁un ground ed ▁cert aint ies , ▁more ▁long ▁articles ▁about ▁what ▁really ▁lies ▁behind ▁this ▁or ▁that ▁development , ▁or ▁what ▁is ▁surely ▁going ▁to ▁happen ▁next , ▁predictions ▁forgotten ▁as ▁soon ▁as ▁they ▁are ▁read , ▁well ▁before ▁events ▁dis pro ve ▁them ?" ▁Phys ically , ▁Per ow ne ▁is ▁neither ▁above ▁nor ▁outside ▁the ▁f ray ▁but ▁at ▁an ▁angle