Below the quarry

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The roof fell with a cough of dust and then a roar. When the stones were still, Nathan shouted the foreman’s name until the word broke in his throat. No answer. He pushed both hands against the heap blocking the passage, although the first rock was wider than his chest. Dust filled his mouth; the lamp flame shivered; the darkness seemed to press its whole weight upon him. He struck the stones until his knuckles shone wetly.

Then he saw the flame bend towards a narrow crack at the edge of the fall. Nathan lowered his hands. He watched it for a moment, wiped the dust from his eyes and tore a strip from his sleeve to bind his knuckles. The largest rocks would not move, but several smaller ones lay loose beneath them. He carried these to the wall, one at a time, and set them down in a careful row. With every journey, the crack became clearer. The passage was no longer a darkness without end: it was a task, and he had begun it.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show Nathan’s changing response after the roof falls. Support your answer with references to the passage.