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Book Analysis: The Buried Giant

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The Buried Giant Essay THE BURIED GIANT: WISTAN Abhijit Naskar, a world known neuroscientist once said, “Progress of the human society is predicated upon the proper functioning of a key element of the human mind, that is reasoning.” The novel, The Buried Giant written by Kazuo Ishiguro, is set in the 5th century, where two neighboring villages, the Britons and the Saxons peacefully coincide. Axl and Beatrice, a couple of Briton heritage, leave town to go on a journey to find their son, whom they have little to no memory of. Along the way, they meet a Saxon warrior, Wistan, a boy who wants to become a warrior, Edwin, and the nephew of King Arthur, Sir Gawain. Wistan, a native Saxon who went to training camp with Britons, is furious with Lord …show more content…

He can only slay Querig if he kills her protector, Sir Gawain, so they fight and Wistan is victorious. When Sir Gawain is lying on the ground, Beatrice asks if they can bury him. In response to Beatrice’s question, Wistan says, “‘He was a kin of the hated Arthur...yet I’ll not leave him to the crows. Rest assured, mistress, I’ll see to him, and may even lay him down in this pit, beside the creature he so long defended’” (Ishiguro 292). This is a good representation of how Wistan thinks before he acts because he runs by a code of honor. In spite of the fact that Sir Gawain is a knight of the hated Arthur, he decides he needs to bury Sir Gawain and stay true to his promise. Wistan’s tone is forgiving and he acknowledges that Sir Gawain didn’t do anything to personally hurt him. Wistan wants justice for the slaughter of the innocent but he understands Sir Gawain was doing what he thought was right. When Wistan stated, “‘I’ll not leave him to the crows...lay him down in this pit, beside the creature he so long defended,’” it showed imagery. You could tell he didn’t want to be cruel and allow Sir Gawain 's body to be ravaged by wildlife. Ishiguro used descriptive words so that the reader could visualize what was happening. Wistan is rational about his decisions, which shows his capability of holding in

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