This essay about the novel Anil's Ghost, By Micheal Ondaatje.

In the fiction anils Ghost, by Micheal Ondaatje, it is establishd that 1 and only(a)ness of the main bags is the accuse that a souls identicalness is non constant through emerge his/her spirit. It grows and turns as the individual does. The write demonstrates this by using indigos friend Leif, and bluejacket as symbols, as wellspring as through current tied(p)ts in the crashing of indigo plants manner. One of the elbow room the generator demonstrates the home of the original, the bringing close together that a souls individualism element is al commissions ever-changing, is through the type reference of Leif. In the novel, it is said, on page 254, ?When Leif left Arizona, Anil didnt examine from her for more than than cardinal months... Leif... was her closest friend.? This quote makes it clear that sextette months without hearing from Leif is troubling to Anil. It reinforces the point that Anil and Leif argon very(prenominal) good friends . Leif is used as a symbol for identity. The affair between her Anil earlier is manoeuvre-filled. ?Anil left a snapshot on her fridge of the two of them dancing at whatever party, this woman who had been her echo, who watched movies with her in her backyard.?(p.255) This time in Leifs breeding is used to act one stage of her identity. Although Anil had non utter to Leif in six months she unchanging remembered the fun time they had unitedly in the same way that a teen someone girl who hasnt played with dolls in years still remembers all(prenominal) the fun she had doing so. Later in their friendship, the Leif she k peeled be musters a computer storage, and a new Leif gradually comes into play. The one that sends strange inexplicable messages in the sour of postcards with no writing. This salutes a new identity. It is non alone disclose from the old one, as they still maintain few similarities, for hithertot Leifs habit of illegally using peoples remember lines. ?As a teenager Leif had made big-dis! tance calls on Sammy Davis Jr.s stolen phone number.? (p255) Leif has a trait when she is novel and when she is older, safe corresponding an identity. delight it for the well-nigh part is different as one gets older, some split remain the same. Later in their relationship, Anil discovers that Leif has Alzheimer?s, and has austere knock over remembering anything. This is another stage of identity. Since identity is formed in part by experiences and memories, Leifs loss of memory changes her identity slayly. man she can remember some things exchangeable the fact that Anil ?always thought Cherry valance would die?(p.256), it is bargonly when she is reminded and even then has trouble with the memory. This is in the same way that someone who is told that they often cried a contend as a child would have trouble with much(prenominal) a reminder. They whitethorn remember vaguely, but it is no long-range a part of their identity. The occasion shows that Leif is a symbol fo r identity, in order to demonstrate the melodic theme of the novel. Another way the author demonstrates the theme of the novel, is by using boatman as a symbol. Sailor, like Leif is withal used to represent identity. When Anil and Sarath commence grazeing on sailor, neither of them k this instants who he is. He is in more than one office, and perpetually incomplete just like an identity. ?He sour [Sailor?s] heel bone crabwise to find the centimeter incomprehensible chip that Anil had broken out of the calcaneus.? (p.74) This, as well the following quote are to illustrate that sailor is not complete. ?[Sarath]?photographed sailor without the skull?? A mortal?s identity is neer just one complete entity, like ?family man? or ?sport enthusiast?. It is a combination of different traits that come together to make up an identity. The person may be a sports enthusiast, a family man, as well as an devouring(prenominal) fisherman, and recreational drug user. It is these little fragments of temperament that make up and identity. ! Anil and Sarath take little pieces of sailor and his lifetime, like pollen particle samples, and information on his appearance to piece together his identity. Also, in the beginning of the book, Sailor is a nameless, anonymous victim. Later in the book, it is discovered that sailor used to work in a mine. spot he?s still nameless and faceless, they now know something about him. Then even later, Ananda reconstructs Sailors face. He is no longer faceless. That aspect of him drops away. After that, they deficiency around, and find out sailors name. ?Sarath and Anil had identified sailor at the third plumbago village. He was Ruwan Kumera and he had been a hot toddy tapper.? He is no longer nameless. That aspect of him drops away. This is parallel to the idea that when one gets older, they like different things, form different opinions; endure differently than they strength have when they were younger. These changes don?t croak overnight; they?re gradual and happen little at a time, establish on your experiences and memories. The people Sailor ?meets? in death represent his experiences and memories. They change Sailor, just as those things change a person identity. This is how the author uses Sailor as a symbol to represent identity, in order to demonstrate the theme of the novel. Another way Ondaatje demonstrates the theme of the novel is through the experiences in Anils life. She is constantly changing fragments of her life to change her identity.

For example, Anil?s relationship with her former(prenominal) husband lasted a very short swing of time, and they had not known each other for very long before that. (?He and Anil were marrie! d quickly? (p.142) referring to her ex husband.) Those are the typical characteristics of one who might describe themselves as a romantic. Depending on the amount of time they knew each other, possibly even a hopeless romantic. This is part of her identity. Then during the physical body of their sum, she changes. non all in one day, but gradually. She starts to realize hymeneals is not for her, and she falls in love with her work. This is how the author demonstrates that identity is constantly changing. Another way he shows this using Anil?s life is her career as a swimmer. When she is young she is an avid swimmer, and her father used to take her swimming often. When she gets older, she dislikes initiation referred to as ?the swimmer.? ?She had spent fifteen years ignoring that early eminence?(p.11), referring to her swimming fame. So much so that she will train dismissive. The person she identifies herself as as a child is not who she wants to be identified as an adult. Another way the author shows the theme is through her name, Anil. When she is young, Anil had a different name. While ?At the age of thirteen,? (p.136) she decides that she cannot stand it anymore, and ends up with the name Anil. This is more literally her identity changing. Anil spends some part of her life being identified as one name, and can?t stand it anymore. She acquires the name from her brother and begins being identified as Anil. These are some ways the author uses to demonstrate one of the main themes of the novel concerning identity. In the novel Anils Ghost, by Michael Ondaatje, it is give away that one of the main themes is the fact that a person?s identity is not constant throughout his/her life. It grows and changes as the person does. One of the ways the author demonstrates the theme of the novel, the idea that a person?s identity is always changing, is through the character of Leif. Another way the author demonstrates the theme of the novel is by using sailor as a symbol. Sailor, like Leif is withal used to repre! sent identity. Another way Ondaatje demonstrates the theme of the novel is through the experiences in Anils life. Source:Ondaatje, Michael. Anils Ghost A Novel. new-sprung(prenominal) York: Vintage, 2001. Print. If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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