His Tragic Flaw

My name is August Wilhelm Von Schlegel. I was born on September 8, 1767 and died on May 12, 1845. Born in Germany, I spent my life as a poet, critic, translator, and leader of German Romanticism. Famous for my translations of Shakespeare into German classics, I allow myself to say I am very familiar with his writing. One thing I can not help but notice, is that all his main characters have a tragic flaw. In his play titled Romeo and Juliet, young Romeo was very impulsive. This weakness of his led him easily to his grave along with his lover Juliet. Likewise, a fatal flaw is present in the troubled Hamlet. Hamlet's vulnerability that I pointed out, is his too much thinking. He is all about what goes on in his mind, resembling a philosopher. That is the reason why he is now in a tormenting situation since he thinks much before acting. It is common if you had heard the famous phrase "think before you act", but it doesn't mean to think until opportunities fade away. We all have weaknesses, but this fictional character's weak point is what shows his insecurity and leaves him facing a difficult world that is hard for him to confront.

The Dionysian Man and Hamlet

Who would have thought it would be a good idea to compare Shakespeare's character Hamlet to the Dionysian man? This was Friedrich Nietzsche's idea. It would be awkward if it had been done by a regular person like me or you, but it was a philosopher's thought. That's what they are recognized after all. Thinking, thinking, and thinking. Anyways, there is no need to specialize in his profession to find his ideas interesting and give some thought to them. Reading his analysis on the famous play Hamlet, opened my perspective towards this character. Nietzsche compares the general Dionysian man (from Dionysus) to the troubled Hamlet. He says they have both "gained knowledge", resembling both characters. However, I agree with Camille Connor's Friedrich Nietzsche, "The Birth of Tragedy", since she claims it is not true that "knowledge kills action". I share this thought with her, since I believe the knowledge gained by Hamlet as he discovers it was Claudius who killed his father, was the reason the book will have action. If it weren't for this information, Hamlet wouldn't proceed on killing his uncle and bring so much trouble into Denmark. The idea of comparing both characters, despite being peculiar, brings a lot of thought into the subject leaving the reader of both texts opened to discuss this comparison.

Hamlet Act V - A Mirror

Rage, desperation, muder. Fear, regret, tranquility. There is no way a crime could be forgiven. No matter what it is, someone will always be hurt. Whether it is the family or the friends of the victim, or the criminal himself. All of us make mistakes, although some are worst. In the case of Jack Hitt, he is one of the men that is surprised by how cruel someone's actions can be. However, the past can't be changed or erased so their is only one thing left to do.

The future. The future is the only thing that can be changed. We can manipulate what will happen next if it means of our actions. At the Missouri Eastern Correctional, a Hamlet play has taken place to give criminals a second chance. A story surrounded my murder and decision making, is the same case for many of the people who remain inprisioned due to their unjust actions. As they prepare for their presentation, they must first fully understand the plot and take the personality of the character they would each play. Although Shakespeare's play contains few characters, in prison they have decided various men would act the same character. In this way, they will all have the opportunity to look inside themselves and give a touch of their lives to the unreal play.

As the process began, Hitt noticed the actors did apply a part of themselves in their presentation. As they themselves accept in American Life, they regret their actions but lamentably they can't take them back. Nevertheless, this experience has served for them as a mirror of their actions or as for Danny, a "rehabilitation" as he heard his victim's voice through his character's voice. One way or another, the past had already be written and for Danny and the others regret was all they had left. They had all committed crimes and whether or not they deserved what they still had, they had another opportunity. The question they would have to answer is, "Are we forever prisoners of our actions?" This one is the same in Shakespeare's Hamlet, being tormented by his undecisive actions. Standing in the same position, all criminals doubt their actions. However at the end, it's not the same for everyone. They can decide to change into different persons, into good guys.

Without being professionals or had been specialized in literature, I believe this crowd has been the best to analize the play. No matter who you are or how many books have you read, it can't be compared to experience. There is no one better to act fictional characters than the ones that have already lived their personalities.

Is it the Reflection of my Subconscious?

I am a recognized play writer in England, famous for many of my plays such as the one of Hamlet. Born in Stratford upon Avon, I left behind many tragedies and comedies after my death. Unlike many of men's works, mine still remain alive, being analized by important people like Sigmund Freud and ordinary people just like you. It has caught my attention the psychoanalysist creator's thoughts of my character Hamlet, and the connection he believes exists with the play and my personal life. If I were still alive, your doubts and questions might have been answered, but since it is not this way, it will always remain a mystery in your lives. One way or another, I find interesting that someone has deeply analized my piece with my life. It is evident and true that there is a relationship between Hamlet and my son Hamnet, as the name clearly almost repeats itself. It is also a fact that this play was written by me shortly after my father's death in 1601. It may be common that many of you assume a clear connection since both cases state a relationship with my family, aswell as Hamlet the character does. Of course I am aware of the association since at the moment I wrote the tragic piece, I was also overcoming tragic moments. Anyways, I don't believe I am the first or the last to do so, since writer's subconsciously or not include a piece of themselves in their writing. Nonetheless, it is not based in my life since I am not the Hamlet in the story. However, Freud's response to my play does express an accurate understanding on the main character. Being impulsive and decisive on revenging his father's death, Hamlet struggles upon the way, seeming to be insane and doubting his actions.

What Would Be A Name Used For?

Throughout reading the novel, many questions popped in my mind. I guess the same thing happened to you. This kind of things tend to happen when readidng a book or watching a movie of suspense. This novel treats a very intense subject as it narrates a struggle for survival. As soon as I began reading, the first question I had in mind was, who is this little boy to the man? Of course I only had to read some more pages to find out who the child was. He was the man's son. However, that wasn't my only question. Everytime something happened, like when they entered one of the houses, I got worried. I asked, would this be end?

Besides the blurr of the dreams, something I could never get out of my mind, was the absence of names for the man and his child. I can't really know what is the real reason for this, but I have my own theory.

McCarthy wrote this book, based on what he imagines the world would be in about 5 to 10 decades from now. Everything gone. Desperation. A destructed world. Due to this situation he imagines happening, people lose their values and their sense. Food is scarce, therefore they have to use other alternatives. Cannabalism. Murder. Robbery. People are dehuminized, treated like animals. Not only their actions, but people take the role of animals aswell. Hunting other humans. Escaping. Migrating is search for food. No one at this point is important anymore. Not in terms of power or possesions, but no one matters at all. People were just like dogs of different breeds. Based on my interpretaion and message the author wants to give, I believe names aren't important then. What would a name be used for if people don't matter? Seeing a human at that time was the same as seeing a wild animal now a days. Who really cares what their name is? They are just a small part of nature, trying to survive daily. Or what aboy a jew 65 years ago? Who cares what their names were? They were just supposed to be animals working for the Nazi soldiers. A number would be more than enough. Just like labeling a cow. I mean, if humans are dehumanized, what would be names used for?

Always Together, Never Apart

Starvation, coldness, fear, the old man, the boat, the beach, the thief, the dead, the little boy, the people, escape. They had been through too much. But they were always together. The man always held his child next to him. He protected him from all the bad things. The man did everything he could to save himself and his little boy from the cannibals and mainly everything.

"He knew only that the child was his warrant." (5)

The boy was the only reason the father could go on. He had already lost his wife, and the only thing he had left was his son. He wasn't just only his son, he was his life, his hope, his everything. The boy also only had his father. Unlike the little boy they had found, he had his father to protect him and look out for him. The father trained his son in case he died, but at least I never expected for him to use his training. Not until the man was shot. He kept going for a while, but the situation was complicated. Both of them knew the man would die. Everything they had done now seemed like nothing. All the sacrifices were now going to be lost. But no. The father wouldn's permit his son to die with him.

"You need to keep going... You'll be lucky again... You have to carry the fire [that's] inside you. It was always there. I can see it". (278)

It was all about faith now. The father knew his son would be alright. He had learned and now he would have to do it on his own. But never alone though. He promised the kid he would never leave him. "You can talk to me and I'll talk to you", (279) the man said to his child. Just as the man had said, the child would be lucky again. He found the good guys. A man that kept his promise and woman that now cared about him.

His father was right. They would always be together, never apart.

Would It Be The End?

A shot.

A scream.

Fear.

Pain.

Coughs.

Bravery.

Blood.

Fatigue.

Surrender.

Death.

Not the end.

Hope.

Life.

Yes, the boy is still alive.

The Firegun

Jesse and Sean walked through the coldness of Alaska looking for their father. He had had a plane accident and was now missing. They had to do something. They couldn't just wait for him to come back. He might be hurt, he needed help and they knew it. It seemed stupid for two young adults to look for their father alone. There were many dangers. But they weren't actually alone. They had Cubby, the polar bear who was now their companion. If you have seen this 1996 movie, you know what a flaregun is. The father used it, and that's how Jesse and Sean found him.

The father and his son tried to escape from their destroyed habitat. Everything was now different. Not many people were left alive. Food was scarce, the weather was cold, there was fear. They couldn't just wait for their death to come. They had to fight for their survival. It was dangerous and perhaps pointless since at some point they would probably had to give up. But they weren't alone. They had each other. The situation got evertyime worst, but the boy was still a child. Many things to learn and play with. The father had found a flaregun to show him how it worked. This distraction almost cost them their lives. "The tarp was gone. Their blankets...Everything...They took everything". (253) It would be harder to survive without their stuff. They had to find the thief, and they did. Luckily they got everything back. But it was still scary. The boy knew the thief would die. He didn't have anything to help him survive.

At the end, the good guys always find a way out. It might be hard, but they always find the way out.

Déjà Vu

Seems as if it had already happened. Hope once again. We were starving, slowly dying."[I] looked across the fields at a house perhaps a mile away. (202) Not much time had passed since we found the previous house. We were scared, didn't know who or what could be inside. But that time it was good. We had found a house full of food and blankets. We stayed there a couple of days resting and eating. The good guys had helped us survive. We had to go because we didn't want to be found, but now, here we were again. "We wandered through the rooms like skeptical housebuyers". (206) It was the same as the last time. At first scary, but then, our hope. I think they call it déjà vu. The feeling of being here before, even though we weren't. I think my father has the same feeling. We went to the beach. I swam in the ocean. It was cold. "[My] teeth were chattering".(218) It was something very different, something they used to do before. Like, something my father would know.

Dedicated to John Francis McCarthy

In an exclusive interview with the famous Oprah, Cormac McCarthy admits The Road was somehow a love story to his son John Francis. As people ask themselves from where did this tragic love story come from, McCarthy answers it was inspired in his son as they were in a vacation in El Paso. The author tells us he got his ideas as he stared through the window of the hotel in the city, and imagined the place full of fires in fifty or a hundred years. However, he only wrote some pages until he realized four years later in Ireland, that this would become a book. At a first glance, we could have thought that the novel comes just from a picture, but as learning it involves his relationship with his son, we understand that the father-son relationship of the book, might aswell relate with his life. Knowing the information attached to the novel, the novel becomes much more vivid and real. Even though we know the characters and the situation McCarthy describes are only fiction, their lives become a reality. Therefore, everything the father says to his son in the novel might be interpreted as McCarthy's imagination, or much more than that, McCarthy's real love for his son. Through an exageration of tragic life, McCarthy may transmit the real message to his son, "You can't give up. I won't let you". (189) The situation may be fake but the love will always be real.

A Drop of Hope

Struggled to survive, confronted other humans, starved. The man and the child from McCarthy's novel had dealt with too many difficulties leading us to believe it would soon be over as it would be time for them to give up. Humans can only survive a few days without food, meaning that even though they don't give up, death will soon catch up with them. However, just when it seemed they were really close to total starvation, they found a solitary house, full of food, clothing, and all their needs. As they searched the house, the boy found many boxes and things they could use. "It's food... Chile, corn, stew, soup, spaghetti sauce." (139) Together they ate "the best pears [they] ever tasted" (141). They had the chance to eat several times, bath, change to clean clothes, sleep, and cover themselves with blankets. It had been a long time since they had so many luxuries that they boy said to his father, "[he] wished [they] could live there". (151) Although they had had a wonderful time in that house, they knew they had to leave if they didn't want to be found.

Too Much Desperation

Cormac McCarthy's The Road, is much more than a story of a man and his child trying to survive. McCarthy introduces us to the future world, one full of corruption and desperation. As he focuses on the relationship of father and son, he walks us through a path of darkness, bigger than just what he literally describes. Together, both characters travel south throughout the road just like the other few survivors. Along the way, they encounter many difficulties such as lonileness, fear, and hunger. However, behind each of these complications there is a bigger story. At this point people are running out of options, making cannabalism an alternative to face hunger. The father has known this trouble all along, but it is now time that the youngster understands the bigger picture. The child has always known they have been running away, but as  they move forward, they have been forced to see the real situation.

Cannabalism is a scary word. When thought of it, most of us think it only happens in movies. However, this is not true.  As I read The Road and learned about this subject, I remembered a book I had read in the past, Milagro En Los Andes. The book written by Nando Parrado, narrates a true story of a plane crash, where at a certain point cannabalism was also an option. After the tragic accident of the famous rugby team, the few survivors had to deal with hunger, therefore decided to eat their teammates. Despite how cold it sounds to eat another human being, sometimes its the only way out in order to survive. Even though The Road is a ficticious novel, it deals with bigger aspects that one could have thought.

Living similar situations dealing with survival, cannabalism is present in both stories. However, this option is banned for some as they think it won't be a remedy for their survival struggle. This is the thought of the father in The Road, who transmits the same message to his son. When the child realizes the people they had seen in the house were going to be eaten by others, he is concerned and asks his father if they would too. However, since they are "the good guys" (77), the father decisively responds, "No. Of course not... We are starving now"(128). The drastic decision of eating someone else, is not the one adopted by this small family.

Ana Lucia Echavarria's Last Child

Ana Lucia Echavarria's blog From Here to Density contains many post based on the novel The Road. The one I decided to comment on though, was The Last Child. I really like how talked about the boy being the last one on Earth and what the old man says to him. During this situation, everyone is in a state as desperation even though they are lucky since most of the others died. Living in such harsh conditions it is almost impossible to find a child with life. Due to this, I really like Ana Lucia's comment and emphasis on this subject. Nevertheless, she also used this blog for vocabulary. Although it is fine, I think it would be better if she did some sort of connection between this subject and the vocabulary she found.

Daniela Duarte's Vocab in the Road!

Daniela Duarte' blog, A Question Of Etiquette contains various styles and comments on different novels. Although all of her posts look great, I decided to focus on the vocabulary blog based on The Road. Her blog, called Vocab In The Road!, is composed of a creative matching of words. She chose eight words from the novel and found each definition. However, she decided not to give the definition next to the word, allwing the reader of her blog to do so. I think this is not only a creative way to explain the vocabulary, but also a way to interact with the audience, allowing them to learn in an effective way.

Searching For A Meaning

Tassled (91) - (n) A bunch of loose threads or cords bound at one end and hanging free at the other, used as an ornament on curtains or clothing, for example.
Phalanx (91) - (n) A compact or close-knit body of people
Kilned (106) - kiln (n) Any of various ovens for hardening, burning, or drying substances such as grain, meal, or clay, especially a brick-lined oven used to bake or fire ceramics.
Prybar (108) - pry bar (n) a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge

Innocence Still Stands In A World Of Corruption

The man and the child are the main characters of The Road, and almost the only ones. Throughout the novel, they surpass various moments of fear, as they intend to survive after an unknown cause of fires. The few people that remain with life live with the same desperation as these two do. There is almost no food to be found, obligating the survivors to continue their struggle with hunger. Due to this, people see no other choice but cannibalism. Even though hunger is a tough factor affecting these people, there are even bigger fears like being found and eaten. Humanity has lost their sense, making the world one of corruption. However, the boy represents innocence. Unknowing the reasons for others’ actions, he sees nothing but people suffering. He continually asks his father “Are we still the good guys?” (77) since he finds himself in a state of confusion. When they hear some kind of noise, the father being naturally alarmed tells the child they must hide. However, the child doubts if “it’s the bad guys” (79) since his lack of knowledge doesn’t allow him to understand everyone and everything around them is a threat. Although the child is involved in the horrible situation, his lack of acquaintance represents him as an innocent child. He doesn’t want to accept things are happening and doesn’t realize involving another kid with them is nothing but dangerous and harmful to their health since they would have to share everything with the new member. Nevertheless, the boy insists on taking the child with them. The father tries to tell him no one was there but the boy continues saying “There’s a little boy, Papa…Yes there is. I saw him”. (84) The father knows taking the needy boy would only be a mistake, but the innocent son believes they should help him by taking him with them.

Innocence

Life Is Hanging By A Thread

Without knowing  the cause of the chaos, we know the man and his child keep running away. They had been alone so far but now they walked along with a stranger too. We know the situation is very dramatic due to the appearance of the new man. "He was burntlooking as the country, his clothing scorched and black. One of his eyes was burnt shot and his hair was but a nitty wig of ash upon his blackened skull."(49) The man, being in the same situation as our two main characters, had been just more unlucky as he had been "struck with lighting".(50) Despite the child's eagerness to help the dying man, they were all in a state of desesperation, lacking material, and "[with] no way to help him". (50) We understand at a more profound level how hard this escape has been as we learn what happened to the man's wife. McCarthy permits us to infer the child doesn't want to live anymore with the absence of his mother since after the child says he wants to be with her, he says: "you mean you wish that you were dead".(55) After being introduced to the mother, we comprehend she is a negative person when she says they are "the walking dead in a horror movie"(55). Not only this, but the mother wishes she would have commited suicide long time ago "when there were three bullets instead of two"(56). Trying to make her reason,  the man fails the task since she had decided death was her new lover. Despite his tries, he saves his season from his mother's crazy plan, but is unable to save his wife. Losing the woman wasn't their only sorrow or fear. Along the way, they had to confront a man that came off a truck. Being close to getting killed, the man and the child managed to escaoe after the man killed the stranger. McCarthy depicts the murder in the following: "The man fell back instantly and lay with blood bubbling from the whole on his forehead", (66) traumatizing the young boy with this violent image. Finally, after they were safe again, they sit to eat along the road. We can infer this was a cold and awkward scene not only because of the situation that had taken place previously, but the father's words when he says "No. Of course not", (69) after the child shook his head when being offered to eat. After such a violent and scary moment, there was no way to feel anything but emptiness.

Trying To Survive, Is A War

I have previously described the relationship betwwen a man and his son, and their struggle to survive in a place where fires had taken place and almost nothing was left. Without knowing the cause of their fight and the abundant deaths present in the setting, I jumped to the conclusion that a natural disaster had occured. Nevertheless, my assumptions towards the situation begin to change due to the reaction of the characters as they hear noises. McCarthy says "In those first years the roads were peopled with refugees", (28) allowing me to deduce a war had been going on. Although I decided to believe this theory, I should not forget that this was only a deduction. The one thing I could be sure about, was that the situation was getting worse every time, limiting the possibilities of survival of the man and his child. We can sense the preocupation of both through their voices and the fear in their minds. The man "knew that if [the snow] got much deeper they would have to leave the cart",(30) making this a new worry for him. But this was not his only torment. He dreamed "he did not take care of her and she died alone somewhere in the dark".(32) Although we remain unconscious of the meaning of this dream and the woman, I can not help but believe it has a connection to the man's wife. I was driven to this conclusion since there is no a presense of a mother or female figure with them and the dream somehow worries our main character. Throughout the next pages of the novel, McCarthy describes the situations they live the following days. Although they were sometimes lucky like when "they slept in the truck"(45)they found one night, their nightmare wasn't over. Even though there is not a direct connection present between the novel and World War II, I associate them both since I have seen several similarities between them.

World War II was a difficult time that involved various countries and along many people. The Road and this historic event are not alike in the way that they don't narrate the same situation nor the characters live under the same circumstances. Nevertheless, I find plenty similarities since both times are of struggle for survival. One being influenced by violence and the other by a still unknown cause, both let us sense desperation, hope, and love. Many of the victims of the Holocaust felt the three same feelings listed above as they were desperate to survive, hoping to live, and loving their significant ones. Probably I wasn't the only one to sense relationships between these two events, but the misteries of The Road and the possibility of more connections to World War II, are still left to be discovered.

Only With Each Other

As we are introduced to the book, we sense a cold feeling generated by the details of the setting. Described as a place where "nights [were] dark beyond darkness and the days more gray than what had gone before", (3) we immedietely infer the characters are experiencing a negative situation. The main character is accompanied by a child whom he stares at while the infant sleeps. Since the kid had been delineated as "the child sleeping beside him" (3), we deduce he is an indifferent character to the main one. Nevertheless, this image changes when the man states that "the child was his warrant".(5) Without knowing what type of guarantee he was, we can at least foresee that the infant is important in some way to the man. With many possibilities in our heads, only the fact that the child is the son is the one that remains. Although we detect coldness between the two characters through their way of dialogue as they don't say much more than "Yes. Of course", (10) we are certain of their familial relationship since the young boy calls the man "Papa".(5) Even though at the beginning we felt distance between the two individuals, we then know this was just a wrong assumption since love is abundant between the two characters. The man shows care for the youngster as "he held the boy shivering against him"(14) and always walks next to him as they moved through the roud heading to the south of the country.

Cormac McCarthy, the author of the novel, describes the surrounding in the following: "The city was mostly burned". (12) Due to the previous imagery description, the constant mention of ash, and the portrayal of the dead given by McCarthy as he depicts: "The mummied dead everywhere. The flesh cloven along the bones, the ligaments dried to tug and taut as wires", (24) we learn the characters are not the only ones living a negative situation. Knowing that the characters are experiencing difficulties to find food and cloth, deaths are present, and fires were exuberant, we understand the march of these males is one for survival. Hence, we can now answer our previous question about what type of assurance the boy was to the man. Fighting for their survival in a solitary country, we presume the minor is the man's only hope.

Gatsby's Closure

As Nick reminds himself of Gatsby, he "thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock." (180) Nick steps into Gatsby's shoes and imagines how it must have been for him to see the green light for the first time. Later on in the passage, through Nick's thoughts, Fitzgerald descirbes Gatsby's big dream in the following: "his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it." (180) By means of Nick's reasoning, readers can visualize the hope Gatsby had and how quickly it all vanished. Nevertheless, the idea of Gatsby's dream being left behind long before his death is brought up by Nick. Readers can infer Gatsby's dream was just a fantasy since "he did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city."(180) Concluding that Gatsby's hope was no more than a delusion, Nick gives closure to his neighbor's death.

Who is the Real Buddy Bolden?

Buddy describes the moment when he is heading back to the house as he says: "In the late afternoon I walk back along the shore to the small house and it is against me dark and shaded." (68) He says this in such a cold voice, that we infer something happened previously that he is not proud or scared of. We know this since the house is "against [him]", (68) meaning it isn't a warm moment. "Dark and shaded" (68) are key words in the sentence since they give us a negative perspective about Buddy and the house. He then makes a pause after he says "Robin and her friends". (68) This permits us to deduce he speaks in a cold way, implying that these characters are part of the conflict. Buddy then says: "I am full of the white privacy. Collisions around me. Eyes clogged with people." (68) By saying this, he means there will be problems around him, supporting our previous idea. We are then certain of our assumptions since Buddy describes the situation that had occured. "Yesterday Robin in the midst of and argument flicked some cream in my face. Without thinking I jumped up grabbing the first thing, a jug full of milk, and threw it all over her." (68) It began as an argument but things got out of hands, leaving the situation in a negative way. Based on what happened, we also know the characters have a  close relationship  since throwing food to others is an act that only people who have trust between each other would do. Besides, the fight really affected Robin. Buddy narrates the moment by saying "she stood by the kitchen door half laughing and half crying at what I had done. She stood there frozen in a hunch she took on as she saw the milk coming at her."(68) She kind of laughed but also cried because she cares and was hurt by this. She was surprised that Buddy would do that, therefore stayed freezed. The way Buddy describes her face lets us see how he also cares about her. He thinks she is "beautiful"(68) and stares at her since he cant believe what he had just done. Based on this paragraph, we can see that Buddy is an impulsive man who really cares about Robin.

Getting To Know Buddy Bolden

As Ondaatje says: "They lay there without words. Moving all over her chest and arms and armpits and stomach as if placing mines on her with his mouth and then leaned up and looked at her body glistening with his own spit", (111) we are able to make two assumptions about Buddy's relationship with Nora. Either they don't have the trust to have a conversation or they have a lot of it, therefore being able to have a good time without saying any word at all. Based on Ondaatje's intimate description of the moment: "Together closing up her skirt, slipping the buttons back into their holes so she was dressed again" (111), we deduce the two charachters feel comfortable with each other since

Ondaatje depicts a sexual moment where Buddy kisses Nora's body. The word "together",(111) has a lot of meaning since it shows they are a team. Somehow they are two in one. They act together, letting us infer that both of them wanted to do what they did. Nevertheless, we deduce friendship is involved in this situation aswell, since Ondaatje says: "Not going further because it was friendship that had to be guarded, they both wanted." (111) . It seems like this is something meaningful to both of them, so if they want to keep it that way, they must not do anything more, even though they are tempted. We know they feel temptation due to Ondaatje's use of "because" (111). This lets us see that there is a reason that explains why they won't go further, instead of their choice only. Following, we observe the presence of a metaphor which compares a diamond and earth. Ondaatje states a literal relationship between the two objects as he says: "The diamond had to love the earth it passed along the way, every speck and angle of the other's history, for the diamond had been earth too."(111) Despite this comparison is unknown to the theme of the novel, we are able to make a connection between it and Nora and Buddy. They had once been only one, knowing absolutely everything about each other, so now they have to love each other at least in some way.

Closure Means The End

There are various symbols present in Fitzgerald's novel that highlight important things or moments involved with the characters. One of the symbols I found, is the emptiness of Gatsby's house. After his death, his house was completely empty and dead. Nick wasn't able to hear the sound of any of his parties since his death gave closure to them. Gatsby's house is an important object throughout the novel since many of the principal scenes occur in this setting. Not only this, but his parties represent life and how Gatsby strongly hopes to see Daisy and be with her again. Nevertheless, he never really noticed that his dreams with Daisy were already over and this hope was just a fantasy. Gatsby's death and the lonely mansion support the idea of his crashed dreams. The definite closure. Seeing the empty house gave a feeling that nothing else could ever happen. It was now the end, no way to go back.