"As he climbed into the truck, Elvis was shaking. This scene had affected him more than anything else he had seen, though he wasn't sure why. maybe it was the cumulative effect of all the horror he had witnessed; there was only so much a soul could take. As they drove off, Elvis watched the spreading fire through the tinted glass. It was horrifying, yet strangely beautiful" (228).
Book II begins with the one of the more unsettling scenes in GraceLand. The scene of Elvis and Redemption eating at the Buka in Lagos was one of the more graphic depictions of violence and vigilante justice of the novel, and was perhaps even more disturbing than when the clothing seller jumped into the fire. The issue of morality is a constant struggle for Elvis, and he feels paralyzed in a situation like this. He knows that what he is seeing is wrong, and he wants to help the man, regardless of whether or not he is a thief. Elvis realizes that he is doing something wrong by dealing drugs and especially working for the Colonel, but can't see any other way of getting out of the place in which he is stuck. The final paragraph (above) reflects how Elvis can't take much more of the depravity of Lagos, which alludes to the book's conclusion. Additionally, it seems to suggest that if something isn't done and a stand isn't taken, the "fire" can spread quickly.
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