Common motifs depicted in the characters throughout Rohinton Mistry's "Such a long journey" include the contrast of many opposing forces. Good and bad, bitterness and forgiveness, saving and destruction, heaven and hell as just a few of the conflicting themes. Many secondary characters in the novel are important in the life of Gustad, and encourage these themes. In The Road to Salvation: Mythological and Theological Intertextuality in Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey, Michel W. Pharand states:
"Since good and evil seem to be inextricably bound, it is not surprising that many of the characters in Such a Long Journey end up doing evil in trying to do good, or conversely, that some of the good deeds have their origins in evil actions or events."
The characters in Such a Long Journey are heavily interwoven with symbols to enforce Mistry's ideas of Gustad Noble's struggle within his self, his home and the war torn country he lives in. Tehmul, Ghulam Mohammed and the wall artist are crucial to capture the struggle between the opposing themes in the course of the novel.
Ghulam Mohammed is a secondary character that focuses mainly upon the conflicting friendship and enemy. This is achieved with his unpredictable personality. The reader does not fully understand his dramatic changes in character until the story unravels. We only witness the extreme kindness shown towards Gustad when they are first introduced and again near the end. The reader sees the other less friendly side of Ghulam when he is "encouraging" Gustad to remove the money from the bank and return it promptly.
"`Better than bones being broken, Mr. Noble.' Whose bones does he mean? Unemotional, the bastard's voice. `Do you know how danger...
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...ests Amin Malak, and:
"the novel...is more than the tale of one individual's life, touching and riveting as this aspect is, it is a microcosm of a community, an image of a "tribe" invented through the imagination of its storyteller."
The ability to intertwine characters, symbolism and conflicting ideas with such talent, enhances this novel making Such a Long Journey a journey that is much enjoyed and seemingly well worth the experience.
Works Cited
Malak, Amin. "The Shahrazadic Tradition: Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey and the Art of Storytelling." Journal of Commonwealth Literature 28.2 (1993): 108-118.
Mistry, Rohinton. Such a long journey. Toronto:McLelland & Stewart, 1991.
Pharand, Michel W. "The Road to Salvation: Mythological and Theological Intertextuality in Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey." Open Letter 8.8 107-116.
The idea that man's relationship with good and evil is not predestined is a central idea in this novel. The conflict between good and evil is a universal battle. Many characters in the novel, East of Eden, struggle both internally and externally with Good versus evil.
This work documented the human experience in a light that I would not have seen it had I only read the books assigned to me in class. The themes in this book and how they were portrayed helped me to be able learn symbolism a bit better and also to understand my own life more clearly.
...nce our perceptions on reality and the concept of a utopian society. The connection between our own society and elements of the novel enable readers to recognize that although a literal utopian society is not possible, the closest we can come to perfection is to find a balance between what is and what we can imagine.
reflects upon the theme of the novel. As it highlights the fact that if people in the society
Upon completion of this novel, a clearly prevalent and outstanding motif is that of religion and biblical reference. The frequent references to religion come in varied forms from that of biblical role-playing, to that of the fate of our current society. Another related argument that occurs can be the relationship of biblical role-playing and character domination. When all are combined appropriately, a very strong and prominent key motif in this novel is produced. Mary Shelley might have used religion reference as a method of showing us how something that happened during the creation of the earth can be related and brought to us via modern day fantasy creations. It is important for us to realize this connection because it will help us to understand an important deeper meaning of this work.
How are the themes of good and evil explored in Chapters 16 and 17 of
Throughout the years, certain writers were able to set off a deep sympathetic resonance within readers by their usage of archetypal patterns. One of those patterns is known as the hero's journey, which Joseph Campbell gave an understandable idea of in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. According to his book, while comparing world's mythology, he found that no matter how far cultures are from each other, they will still have the same structure of hero's journey in their legends (Voytilla vii).
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
These timeless tales relate a message that readers throughout the ages can understand and relate to. While each of these tales is not exactly alike, they do share a common core of events. Some event and or character flaw necessitates a journey of some kind, whether it is an actual physical journey or a metaphorical one. The hardships and obstacles encountered on said journey lead to spiritual growth and build character. Rarely does a person find himself unchanged once the journey is over.
Stylistically, the book is arranged in rotating chapters. Every fourth chapter is devoted to each individual character and their continuation alo...
Wilson, M. & Clark, R. (n.d.). Analyzing the Short Story. [online] Retrieved from: https://www.limcollege.edu/Analyzing_the_Short_Story.pdf [Accessed: 12 Apr 2014].
In this book review I represent and analyze the three themes I found the most significant in the novel.
The narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man's "Evil Eye" (34). Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man.
The Chronicles of Narnia are veritably the most popular writings of C.S. Lewis. They are known as children’s fantasy literature, and have found favor in older students and adults alike, even many Christian theologians enjoy these stories from Lewis; for there are many spiritual truths that one can gleam from them, if familiar with the Bible. However, having said this, it is noteworthy to say that Lewis did not scribe these Chronicles for allegorical didactics of the Christian faith, but wrote them in such a well-knit fashion that young readers might understand Christian doctrine through captivating fantasy and thus gain an appreciation for it. With this in mind, and in the interest of this assignment, the purpose of this paper is an attempt to analyze one of the many doctrines of the Christian faith from The Lion, The Witch, And, The Wardrobe (LWW), namely, temptation and how Lewis illustrates it through an individual character, Edmund.
Criticism. The. New York: Norton, 1975. Fox, Robert C. "The Allegory of Sin and Death in Paradise Lost." Modern Language Quarterly 24 (1963): 354-64. ---.