Going on a journey is easier said than done. Especially when emotions, friendships and the past are involved. Society tends to think of journeys to only be physical, getting from one place to the next. And although that might be true other forms of journey’s such as emotional, and spiritual may have a greater effect on people. In the book Indian Horse written by Richard Wagamese, Saul Indian horse goes on a Journey to rediscover his past.
The Emotional Journey of Saul in Wagamese’s Indian Horse Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese is undoubtedly captivating and entertaining. Even so, a close scrutiny of the novel reveals the novelist’s careful development of Saul’s character not only with the aim of capturing the journey he embarks on, but also linking his journey to the theme of suffering. Thus, rather than presenting a static character, Wagamese chooses to present a dynamic character whose emotional state evolves over time as he goes through various crises in his life. Saul goes through an emotional journey that is marked by pain, isolation, loneliness and fear, numbness and resignation, excitement, a relapse to isolation, and freedom, and this journey builds on the theme of suffering. Saul’s emotional journey begins with pain as a result of the loss of family members.
A Story In the poem, A Story, Li-Young Lee uses specific diction and juxtaposition to reveal the affection the father and son have for each other as well as the fears behind a changing relationship. This complex relationship between the father and the son is depicted throughout the boy’s adjourn for a new story. The poem is written through the juxtaposition of the father: the father in the present and the father’s prediction of the future.
Comparing texts can enrich experiences for readers by allowing audiences to grasp a further understanding of underlying themes within a text, and how they have the ability to challenge reader’s perspectives. Anh Do’s autobiographical memoir, The Happiest Refugee (2010), discusses the highs and lows of growing up in Australia as a Vietnamese refugee, during a time where racial intolerance and scepticism towards foreigners was common. Do has constructed themes that through the use of various literary devices, work towards altering audience’s stereotypical perspective of refugees, instead replacing it with a less critical and more accepting viewpoint; these themes are also explored in other texts. Themes surrounding resilience, family bonds and
Ashima gets a horrible call with a nurse saying “‘I’m very sorry, ma’am,’ The young woman repeats. ‘We’ve been trying to reach you.’ And the the young woman tells her that the patient, Ashoke Ganguli, her husband, has expired” (Lahiri, 168). Ashoke’s death is irreversible, but leads to a reunion of their
Gogol’s relationship with his family, as previously mentioned, was a rocky one. Because he grew up hating his name, he associated his name with his heritage and in turn grew to hate his family’s traditions. When he grows up, he tries to separate himself from these traditions by avoiding the Bengali themed parties his parents throw and immerses himself in American traditions. “He didn't want to go home on the weekends, to go with them to pujos and Bengali parties, to remain unquestionably in their world,” (Lahiri 126). This active rebellion of Gogol’s peaked at the time that he was dating his girlfriend, Maxine, and also when he changed his first name to Nikhil.
“Once More to the Lake” by E.B White, and “Summerland” by Peter Jon Lindberg are examples of great traveling experiences “to lose and find ourselves.” In these essays there is not any travel solely for adventure, but mostly for a tradition. They show us that traveling does not really need to be just “about the unfamiliar, the discovered, the passport full of stamps” (Lindberg), but may also be to regret nothing from the trip, even if it was unexpected. In his essay, White addressed his most hidden thoughts and feelings about mortality in a beautiful way, which leads him to lose and find himself. His flashback began the first time White brought his son to the lake in Maine where, after many years since he had come with his father for summer vacation, he became confused by his role.
Ultimately, Lahiri suggests the idea that American culture plays an influential role in shaping one’s physical and cultural beliefs, but it is possible to avoid being assimilated through self-determination and resistance. In the story Interpreter of Maladies, an Indian-American family, known as the Das’s, travel to India, but upon arrival, they are clueless about the culture and history of their own country of nationality. Throughout the story, the behavior and actions of the Das family is told through the eyes of Mr.Kapasi, the
He feels as if he can only fully embrace one culture, so he pushes his Bengali culture as far back as he can and welcomes the American dream. Nikhil represents his American acceptance, whereas Gogol represents his past, which he cannot shake no matter how hard he tries. In the end, he finally embraces and mixes both American and Bengali culture. Despite the cultural and assimilation struggles Gogol faced, he eventually found a way to discover his identity as a Bengali living in
To be alone on an island, painting the sky the desired shade of blue, but to be secluded, fending away civilization as it it were a parasite, is not one’s ideal state of mind. Yet, by a particular female character named Moushumi In the book The Namesake, they are confused. Moushumi is the ex-wife of Gogol and identified in detail by Jhumpa Lahiri. Moushumi’s identity is composed of her experiences, her values, and her background.
As Gogol is more familiar with American culture, he feels his parents’ way of inviting people to dinner is vaguely foolish, and that leads to the fact that he prefers to spend more time with Maxine’s family rather than his own. The gap also widens in the relationship aspect. When they are curling up on the sofa in the evenings, Gogol is reminded that, “in all his life he has never witnessed a single moment of physical affection between his parents. Whatever love exists between them is an utterly private, uncelebrated thing.”(p138) He loves every companion and that is why he chooses to be with thim.
Kite Runner Being an immigrant is about leaving one’s native country; but it is also, more importantly, about adapting and assimilating to a new culture. Relocating to a new country could sometimes cause a life-transforming moment. In 2003, when Khaled Hosseini published the mainstream fiction story, “The Kite Runner,” he was an extremely successful M.D. (Medical Doctor) who was practicing internal medicine. Throughout his novel, he describes different characters which possess different characteristics and personalities. As illustrated in the book, Baba and his family moved to the United States to get a better life, and they quickly started to assimilate the American culture.
Gogol’s serious relationships began after he legally changed his name to Nikhil. The significance of relationships and marriage in the novel is purely based on intimacy and defining one’s identity. Gogol’s relationship with Ruth was his first real relationship. They
Not only does this make him drift from his family, but drift from his Indian Culture. “At times, as the laughter at Gerald and Lydia’s table swells, and another bottle of wine is opened, and Gogol raises his glass to be filled yet again, he is conscious of the fact that his immersion in Maxine’s family is a betrayal of his own” (141). Gogol has been following the “American” ways with Maxine’s family and he has become aware of the disconnection between him and his culture. It seems as if he is starting to feel quite guilty because of this and he feels as if he is being
By using “travel companions,” writers are trying not only to acquaint the the reader with racial issues but to show HOW these issues affect others in society. The extent and of the problem and the contexts of the encountered problems are different. In the poem, while narrator doesn 't explicitly discuss the issue of racial discrimination, she describes this problem as " life long practice.” On the other hand, author of the second text, explicitly detests what she has seen in the Johannesburg, but it 's her “first time
