They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door.
In this passage from "All Summer in a Day," Margot, a weak but thoughtful child, is cruelly bullied by her classmates. This is not the first time they have treated her this way, but it is the worst. The words "surged," "bore," and...
They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door.
In this passage from "All Summer in a Day," Margot, a weak but thoughtful child, is cruelly bullied by her classmates. This is not the first time they have treated her this way, but it is the worst. The words "surged," "bore," and "protesting" all have the connotation that what is happening to Margot is against her will. The idea of "surged" implies that many children moved together at once in a force that was irresistible. Like the oncoming tide, or a flood, they overwhelmed her, and she was powerless against them.
"Bore" means that they moved her under their volition, not hers. One thinks of athletes being carried on high by many hands after scoring a big win for the team, but that is the irony here. She is not liked by the others, and they are displaying their power over her, not their approval of her.
"Protesting" indicates that she seeks to rebel against their actions toward her. Just as the American colonists protested against the overbearing, unjust actions of England by throwing tea into Boston Harbor, so Margot tries to protest the unfair treatment she is receiving at the hands of her oppressive classmates. Unfortunately, she is only one among many, and the cruel children do not heed her protests.
The words used in this sentence point out Margot's lack of power and the unfair, unjust treatment she receives at the hands of her classmates.
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