" This new sensation of smelling foreshadows the ending of the story, in which the protagonist realises that the dream is actually reality. This technique not only challenges his perception of what is real what is not, but also challenges and stimulates the readers to speculate about the characters future. This juxtaposition can challenge our perception of our own world and how we comprehend and make sense of our individual reality. .
Despite the use of foreshadowing the author effectively conveys the sudden and unexpected nature of discovery at the conclusion of "The Night Face Up". In the final moments of the story in which the protagonist is being held prisoner and a figure is approaching him with a knife, he comes to the startling realization that this is not a dream. The authors' use of the ordinary setting of a hospital influences the reader to assume this it is the protagonist's reality. He reflects on his experiences, stating "a dream in which he was going through strange avenues of an astonishing city, with green and red lights that burned without fire or smoke, an enormous metal insect that whirred away between his legs". This metaphor shows the absurd traits of the dream that were left out. Only now does the reader realise that the assumed reality was in fact part of the protagonist's subconsciousness. This plot twist leaves the audience with an unexpected and sudden discovery in which we begin to question what was real and what was not. .
Discoveries can be fresh and intensely meaningful in ways that may be emotional, physical or spiritual. The "Night Face Up" encapsulates many of these principles throughout the text. His dream and reality are running parallel, and his actions are mirrored to intensify the link between both worlds. Distinct boundaries become blurred as he is hurrying in both texts and the injuries inflicted upon him in the Aztec world are reflected through the motor cycle crash.
