In the past few books I've read such as the Life of Pi by Yann Martel, hope has become a reoccurring theme. For Pi, the main character in the book, hope came in the form of a Bengal Tiger, a whistle and a buoy. However, for Amir in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini hope comes in a very different form. Throughout the book Amir and his best friend Hassan are subjected to violence. For example, Hassan must endure through the slurs about his mother from soldiers scattered throughout Afghanistan. Amir is also occasionally neglected by his ignorant father, who repeatedly says behind Amir's back, "Why can't he be more like me?" The two boys constantly face many hardships yet they succeed in maintaining a spiritual mind and never lose hope. With hope, they gain courage and optimism that there will be a "brighter day" than before. But how is it that they keep hope with so much despair and difficulty in their lives? What benefits does anyone receive from hope? Is it purely what keeps people going; an idea that the next day will be better than the previous? As I continue to read, I look forward to revealing the true meaning of hope. In the mean time, what are your opinions and thoughts on it?
This is a really great post! I like how you connected the theme of this to your previous book, The Life of Pi. I think hope is a really important thing for every person, or in this case, character, to have. Hope shows the idea that there is a better place, and keeps you striving to reach a that "better" place. Especially when characters face such harsh situations such as these, hope is what outlasts pain, and without hope, there is no story. It's a really good post, again.
ReplyDeleteI thought the way you presented a text to text connection was good. It's interesting how both books have a similar theme. I also think that hope is a good thematic element for a book - it gives characters an end goal to strive for even while in a bad situation. Good post.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Finn! I like how you asked the readers a question at the end. I think that we hope because it's the only way we can be happy and get through hard times. Believing that something good will happen always cheers me up when I am down.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your ending question, I think people hope out of desperation that what they are hoping for really happen and then they wont have to live the way they are living ever again... all though I think that chances are they will have to live like that weather they like it or not. Although that's sort of a bad way of looking at it. Anyways, I really liked your post. very thoughtful
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