Boston University

Boston University is identified in the narrative by the crest on Andrew’s gray long-sleeved T-shirt. The brief reference places the university’s name within a quiet scene of reading and self-presentation, but does not establish Andrew’s educational status or history with the institution.

Appearance in the Narrative

On the cabin’s deck, Andrew sits beneath an umbrella in a Boston University T-shirt, keeping his pale skin out of the sun while Eric sits nearby. Andrew is reading essays about twentieth-century South American writers and magical realism; he has told Eric three times what the book is about and read aloud two passages concerning Gabriel García Márquez.

Context and Significance

The university is present as a visible emblem rather than as a setting or an institution involved in the action. In the scene, the shirt’s crest accompanies Andrew’s conspicuous display of his reading: Eric finds this apparent bid for his approval endearing as well as irritating. Boston University therefore helps locate a detail of Andrew’s appearance, while the scene’s emphasis remains on the small negotiation of attention and approval between the two men.