The word I choose in the book was the word “urgent.” Seemed like a pretty good choice, considering it’s a novel about disaster, but the word “urgent” only appears 9 times in the novel.
While 9 does not appear to be a signficant number, the meaning of the word changes as it is carried through the novel.
The first time we see the word “urgent” (p21) is in reference to some memos sitting on Barry Price’s desk, and the connotation given to the word is one of sarcasm, since there are a pile of them, it is quite obvious that Price feels comfortable getting to them whenever he has time.
The second time is on p 149 when Jellison is pleading with Tom to downplay the possibility of the comet hitting the earth. Jellison’s voice is “low and urgent” and while it is clear he doesn’t view the comet as any sort of real danger, he doesn’t want the public to become panicked with the knowledge that the comet is much closer than expected.
Next, we see the word on p 178 describing Officer Larsen’s impulse to become a screenwriter. Retrospectively, it seems a silly urgency, as screenwriting won’t be helpful to a world in the midst of disaster. In its current context it just seems to be a selfish urgency, an impulse that isn’t really very urgent at all.
Then came the comet.
Each of the six remaining uses of the word “urgent” (p 248, 253, 300, 323, 374, and 582) ring of a desperation that only a life threatening disaster could bring. The word is used to describe Forrester trying to run down the hall to escape the building’s collapse, Hamner’s voice directing Eileen out of danger, etc.
I think that although the word “urgent” only has a grand total of 9 debuts in the entire novel, it’s sparing use makes it that much more significant, because it definitely illustrates the way the meaning of a word can change after disaster has struck.