In the Skin of a Lion, by Michael Ondaatje

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In The Skin of a Lion is a novel depicting the constant hardships which the main characters undergo throughout their lives. It focuses on the relationships among the immigrant groups as they make up the majority of Toronto's population. Moreover, all through the novel the idea of immigration is prevalent. The setting changes - from one place to another, as Patrick moves from the countryside to the city and as Temelcoff moves from Macedonia to Canada.
Personal views change as Alice undergoes a transformation from being a nun to an actress and as
Caravaggio becomes a thief. The characters immigrate with one common goal - acceptance.
Thus, in In The Skin of a Lion immigration is perceived as a way to gain acceptance by society.
One of the main characters, Patrick Lewis, grows up in a rural part of Ontario without the presence of a mother, nor any other relatives or friends. His only source of company is his father, Hazen Lewis. However, the man is not talkative; as Ondaatje says "Hazen Lewis was an abashed man, withdrawn from the world around him, uninterested in the habits of civilization outside his own focus." (Ondaatje 15) Patrick's father is seen as a man who is dedicated to his work to the extent where he does not wish to take interest in his child's life. "He was sullen even in the company of his son. All his energy was with the fuse travelling at two minutes to the yard..." (Ondaatje 18) Even, during those rare times Patrick and his father spend together, Hazen
Lewis's main focus remains on his work, which makes Patrick feel lonely and unaccepted. As he becomes older however, Patrick moves to Toronto where he is surrounded by people who are close to one another. "Patrick Lewis, the 'immigrant to the city',...

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... The Skin of a Lion and Hugh MacLennan's Barometer Rising . Diss. 1993. Web. http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/SCL/article/view/8175/9232
Hedges, Chris. War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. Random House LLC, 2003. 10. eBook. http://books.google.ca/books?id=rrudDu0qYZYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summar y_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Isabel V. Sawhill. Poverty in America. The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. 2008. Library of Economics and Liberty. 26 November 2013. http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/PovertyinAmerica.html
Macedonian History. Canadian Macedonian Historical Society. Web. 26 Nov 2013. http://www.macedonianhistory.ca/
"war." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 26 Nov. 2013. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/cite.html?qh=war&ia=luna

Ondaatje, Michael. In The Skin of a Lion. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1996. Print.

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