The English Patient Essay, Research Paper
The Motif of the Desert in The English Patient
Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient is the story of four different people’s experiences and how they came to live together in a small villa in Italy during World War II. The novel is abundant in symbolism, and the imagery brings the settings to life. The novel is also filled with motifs. Probably the most frequent motif Ondaatje uses is the desert. The motif of the desert appears in the novel to accomplish one of two things: to represent characteristics of English patient, or to reinforce the theme of nations.
The most often use of the desert motif is to symbolize an aspect or characteristic of the English patient. On several occasions, the vastness of the desert is emphasized. The English patient comments that “If a man leaned back a few inches he would disappear into darkness” (143; ch. 4). He also mentions that “The desert was always among us” (145; ch. 4). The concept of the great expanse of the desert represents multiple aspects of the English patient. Both his seemingly infinite knowledge base and unbelievable life experiences could be described as vast. Perhaps this is because of the ways in which the English patient has been influenced by the desert. In the desert “. . . it is easy to lose a sense of demarcation” and to be greatly changed by traversing its great distances (18; ch. 1). The desert is later described as a place where
“. . . nothing was strapped down or permanent, everything drifted . . .” (22; ch. 1). This is indeed descriptive of the English patient’s existence for in his lifetime he loses many thing close to him: Katherine, whom he love greatly, Madox, a close friend, and even his identity is lost to the desert. Another statement made about the desert asserts that it “. . . could not be claimed or owned” (138; ch. 4). The English patient too cannot be claimed or owned because he does not even know who he his: his identity is a mystery to all. However, the desert has caused the English patient to lose more than his name: he has been drastically changed by it.
After spending ten years in the desert, the English patient is a shadow of his former self. Of course, he is still very intelligent and observant; however, much of himself has been lost. The English patient himself says that “. . . in the emptiness of deserts you are always surrounded by lost history” (135; ch. 4). While he was referring to the many nomadic tribes that pass through the region, this can also be applied to the burned plane and Clifton’s and Katherine’s bodies which are forever lost in history. That is, very few will ever hear their story. Everything the English patient experiences in the desert is very short lived, and this is compared to the difficulty in finding an ample amount of water. The English patient speaks of water as the ” . . . ghost between your hands and your mouth” and notes that “In the desert you celebrate nothing but water” (19; ch. 1 | 23; ch. 1). This strengthens the idea that nothing in the desert is permanent, and everything is valuable. In this sense, the desert represents not only the English patient’s life, but life in general. At least, it speaks to the fact that many things in life are not permanent and that life is constantly changing, much like the desert. After one of the English patient’s long and difficult journeys through the desert, he arrives at a city and receives “. . . this new world slowly, as if coming out of a drowning” (138; ch. 4). Even now, signs that the desert is changing him are becoming more and more apparent. Nevertheless, the greatest change that the English patient exhibits is loss in the faith of nations. The English patient is a man who once lived for nations. He was a spy for Germany, after all, so nations were his job. The complex diplomacy and politics that were a part of the web of alliances that were pulled into World War II, were topics that he concerned himself with. However, the desert changes that completely. The English patient says that “. . . after ten years in the desert, it was easy for me to slip across borders, not to belong to anyone, to any nation” (139; ch. 4). He also says directly, “I came to hate nations” (138; ch. 4). This shows that he indeed has been changed by nations: a complete reversal of his previous role. Not only the English patient, but also his friend Madox loses interest in nations and eventually kills himself because of it. The English patient comments that “Madox died because of nations” (138; ch. 4). He becomes enchanted by the desert: by both the exotic names of unusual land features and the variety of nomadic groups that travel its seemingly endless expanse. He is also tired of the war and is beginning to see its futility. At one point, he exclaims “Erase the family name! Erase nations! I was taught such things by the desert” (139; ch. 4). This is what truly causes the English patient to lose his identity, not the plane crash or his extensive burns, but the change he undergoes through his stay in the desert.
The motif of the desert appears numerous times and with different interpretations. Nevertheless, it is clear that the desert is seen as a place with the power to change men completely. The purpose of the desert was to emphasize the English patient’s difficult life experiences, to show how he was changed, and to help describe why he acts as he does in the present. Hana, Caravaggio, and Kip believe that the English patient has amnesia or that his traumatic experience has caused his memory loss; however, as Caravaggio notes, why does he then remember his whole life story. The fact is, the English patient never forgets who he is: he just wishes he would.
Другие работы по теме:
Reading And Comprehension Essay Research Paper Reading
Reading And Comprehension Essay, Research Paper Reading and Comprehending English is a strong complex language. It can be very difficult to read and comprehend. To ask one, who s first language is not English they would tell you that English is painstakingly hard to understand. That is why people need to learn to read and understand what they read.
What I Think Of English Class Essay
, Research Paper I cant believe it?s the last year of high school, hopefully. It feels like just the other day when I was a Freshman. English has always been my worst subject, but I have always seemed to be able to get through it. I have always done the minimal work to pass in the past classes I have taken. Mr. MacKenzie?s senior English class isn?t like most I have taken before.
Dentist Essay Research Paper The ProblemThe conventional
Dentist Essay, Research Paper The Problem. The conventional way of managing a dental office using forms, filling cabinets and paperwork for administration of the practice is now being outdated by the use of computers. The Bristol Dental Hospital still use a ?manual? based system, which is now proving to be inefficient due to the numbers of patients and office space.
English Class 009 Essay Research Paper I
English Class 009 Essay, Research Paper I am taking English 009 to benefit me in the future. It gives me the skills I need to succeed. I would be able to write a paper; because of the writing skills I have learned in English 009. From studying hard, my grammar could be improved. I would be offered a teaching position as a substitute teacher for English because of my experience in English 009.
Euthanasia Essay Research Paper Assisted SuicideA great
Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper Assisted Suicide A great deal of debate surrounds the practice of assisted suicide. Lately, laws against voluntary euthanasia have been eased, although serious moral and legal questions still exist. Most opposition of assisted suicide comes from religious groups, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Cukoo Essay Research Paper McMurphyMcMurphy 35 years
Cukoo Essay, Research Paper McMurphy McMurphy, 35 years old, plays the role of a mental patient. He was brought into the ward because he pretended to be crazy and everybody believed him. McMurphy was arrested for assault (fighting in bars), drunkenness, disturbing the peace, repeated gambling, and statutory rape.
Legalizing Euthanasia Essay Research Paper Legalizing euthanasia
Legalizing Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper Legalizing euthanasia in the United States gives rights to the people. Rights to those who endure the irrefutable agony of pain and suffering, rights to those who want to be cured of their pain, and rights to those that struggle to end their suffering. Euthanasia is the answer to end their suffering.
Stars Essay Research Paper Bright Star Would
Stars Essay, Research Paper Bright Star, Would I were Steadfast as Thou Art Endymion (excerpts) The Eve of St. Agnes Fancy The Human Seasons Hyperion If by Dull Rhymes our English must be Chain’d
Peoms Essay Research Paper English 3
Peoms Essay, Research Paper English 3 The Sky is Filled With Laughter The sky is filled with laughter Like a little kid at a fair With streaks of blue and white
Public Health Plan Essay Research Paper Wellness
Public Health Plan Essay, Research Paper Wellness Plan Quiz 2 Jim xxxxxxxx Public Health I would recommend a lot of changes for this patient, including exercise, change of diet, and cessation of his smoking habit, to name a few. This patient should use a lumbar support pillow in his chair at work, as well as a foot support, to alleviate strain on his lower back form sitting all day.
Descriptive Essay On William Wallace 1 Pg
. Essay, Research Paper A Descriptive Essay On William Wallace A man of low status and called by some an outlaw or bandit, it may have been that Wallace was being used by more powerful Scottish politicians as a cover for their rebellion so they would not break their feudal vows to the king of England.
Terwilliger Bunts One Essay Research Paper In
Terwilliger Bunts One Essay, Research Paper In reading “Terwilliger Bunts One,” I got the impression Annie Dillard’s mom would be successful in English 101 because she questions word usage, forcing people to think about what they say, to insure their thoughts are interpreted properly. “No wonder you listen to baseball.
Assited Suicide Essay Research Paper If you
Assited Suicide Essay, Research Paper If you had incurable disease that gave you six months to live and you were in incredible pain and were suffering, would you want to hang on for those last moments of torture? Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic. There are many people supporting it and many people opposing it.
Prop 63 Essay Research Paper The Official
Prop. 63 Essay, Research Paper The Official English Language Proposition 63 will make English the Official Language of the United States and I am against The official English
Spanish Armada Essay Research Paper Reasons for
Spanish Armada Essay, Research Paper Reasons for the Armada In 1587, King Philip of Spain saw England as a dangerous nuisance. King Philip had many reasons to want to get rid of Queen Elizabeth:
English Essay Research Paper She stood there
English Essay, Research Paper She stood there, staring in disbelief at her reflection. Could the person looking back at her from the mirror really be herself? She ran her fingers through her long dark
Poem The Beach Essay Research Paper Ryan
Poem: The Beach Essay, Research Paper Ryan Hartney English 9 3/8/01 The Beach I have always liked the beach best Its fun in the sun for everyone You can have a picnic
Metric System Essay Research Paper Metric SystemThe
Metric System Essay, Research Paper Metric System The Metric System, also known as the System Internationale (SI) was developed in France in 1799. The Metric System was created because the French and English were not in agreement politically, therefore the French did not want anything to do with the English including their system of measurements.
A Noiseless Patient Spider 1881 Essay Research
Paper A noiseless patient spider, I mark’d where on a little promotory it stood isolated, Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding. It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, ot itself,
Journal Writing Essay Research Paper Journal Writing
Journal Writing Essay, Research Paper Journal Writing I write a lot in class but I don’t like writing one bit it gets on my nerves cause my hands are very sensitive and my hands get so tired that don’t even want to type anymore and that messes me up a lot cause in my English class you are required to write a lot. Now if it were typing that a whole other story but that’s not going to help me in life to come cause when you go get a job you are required to have punctuality.
Euthenasia Essay Research Paper EuthanasiaImmoral or Human
Euthenasia Essay, Research Paper Euthanasia Immoral or Human Right? Recent debates over active euthanasia, “killing” a terminally ill patient, in Holland, has risen the question whether euthanasia is immoral or a simple human right. Doctors seem to have no doubt. They made an oath.
Summary And Responce To
“Black English” Essay, Research Paper Summary and Response Word Count 366 Summary In the essay titled, ?If Black English Isn?t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is??
The English Patient Summary Essay Research Paper
In the final year of World War II, in a bomb-damaged villa in the hills north ofFlorence, four characters seek shelter and in their various ways attempt to undo thedamage of the war. Kip, the Indian munitions expert, by day disarms unexploded minesand bombs. The title character, badly burned all over his body when his plane crashed inthe desert, lies in a bed, morphine deadening his pain and loosening his memory,reminiscing about a love affair and his career in military intelligence as a desert expert.
The English Patient Essay Research Paper As
The English Patient Essay, Research Paper As followed by the big hit of Titanic?s great tragedy love story . It seems that love romantic stories are in favour to touch people?s deep feelings.
The English Patient Essay Research Paper In
The English Patient Essay, Research Paper In Michael Ondaatje?s novel The English Patient, the author demonstrates how dreadful the time of the war was. He proves that the victims were all subject to extreme suffering, torture and even abuse by weapons of the time period of World War 2. Suffering is seen in many parts of the novel and truly represents what life during World War 2 was really like.
Spider Essay Research Paper Walt Whitmans poem
Spider Essay, Research Paper Walt Whitman?s poem entitled ?A noiseless Patient Spider.? Describes a quiet spider creating a web. The first line of the poem reads, ?A noiseless patient spider? referring to the graceful and peaceful nature of a spider. It is a creature of patience. ?I mark?d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,? The speaker watches the spider carefully and sees where it stood.
Constable Warren Essay Research Paper English 322900Constible
Constable Warren Essay, Research Paper English 3 2/29/00 Constible Warren: Consitble Warren was the only Constable in town. He was friends with everyone. He use to just stop by and say hello. Constable Warren always made sure everything was okay ?seein? if there?s anything I can do to prevent a flood. Rivers been rising all night?.
The English Language Essay Research Paper This
The English Language Essay, Research Paper This House affirms that the British Empire was a great success whose effects are still beneficial to the world. The world distribution of English users is divided into three categories : English as a native language; for example, UK, USA, Australia, English as a second language; for example, India, Singapore, Ghana, Philippines, and English as a foreign language; for example, France, Japan, Thailand.There are 72 countries with Englishs as an official language and 9 countries with English as a first language:Australia, Great- Britain, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourgh, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the USA.
How To Improve Your English Essay Research
Paper How To Improve Your English English is now the international language .So it is very important to learn English well. We should study English in the correct way, so that we can make
What Is English Essay Research Paper English
What Is English? Essay, Research Paper English, well what is English? We all know that it is a language. But, what is the study of english? It is the study of literature in the english language. People attend english classes. This may be to learn the English Language or to learn about english literature or writing.
Brief Look At Euthanasia Essay Research Paper 2
Brief Look At Euthanasia- Essay, Research Paper Brief Look at Euthanasia- Euthanasia is one of the most acute and uncomfortable contemporary problems in medical ethics. Is Euthanasia Ethical? The
Legalization Of Marijuana Essay Research Paper Legalization
Legalization Of Marijuana Essay, Research Paper Legalization of medical marijuana This act may be cited as the ? legalization of marijuana? Sec. 1 This bill will be for the well being of the pain stricken patients in our nation’s hospitals, a doctor that will decide if a patient is illegible to receive marijuana.
Gene Therapy Essay Research Paper What is
Gene Therapy Essay, Research Paper What is Gene Therapy? What types of gene therapies cure genetic diseases? Many diseases seen today are the result of a defective gene in the DNA of thepatient and cannot be cured using the traditional methods such as antibiotics and antiviral medication. The victims are now looking to gene therapy as a potential cure for their problems.