🦋 Mr. Uncle
Chapter 29, in which the foul deed is done, is totally gripping. I am starting to wonder (well -- I had been wondering, but this chapter is making it worse) whose name is Red -- I think it might be Black somehow.* The principal reason I'm thinking this is because Enishte Effendi (lovely nickname, I think it means "Mr. Uncle") has his chapters titled, "I am your beloved uncle" -- your beloved uncle, as if he is talking to Black. Just a hunch tho. A few nice things from this chapter: - Enishte and the murderer discussing guilt -- that the artist is motivated in part by "fear of retribution" -- "how the endless guilt both deadens and nourishes the artist's imagination."
- Enishte's compliment to the murderer: "What your pen draws is neither truthful nor frivolous."
- Enishte's final, long speech about the destiny of their art.
- "Just before I died, I actually longed for my death, and at the same time, I understood the answer to the question that I'd spent my entire life pondering, the answer I couldn't find in books: How was it that everybody, without exception, succeeded in dying? It was precisely through this simple desire to pass on. I also understood that death would make me a wiser man."
*Mm, strike that -- I just looked in the table of contents and noticed chapter 31 will be titled, "I am Red". So, apparently Red is a distinct character. That's my assumption at this point anyhow.
posted evening of Friday, August 31st, 2007
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u mentioned the uncle's dying moments... i have just finished this chapter... i m a bit confused
the reason-
i came across 2 deaths till now... but i find their afterlife experiences vry different.
elegant effendi says he is dead, but not yet buried, and therefore his soul hasnt left his body.
and now the uncle also is dead, but isnt buried yet and yet he sees his soul(the size of a bee) leave his body
isnt this contradictory...
a reply will b most appreciated
karan082@gmail.com
posted morning of June 16th, 2009 by karan
I am not sure -- I didn't see any contradiction here. The two characters were so different, it was natural that their experiences in death should be different. The novel is not naturalistic, I don't think there is any need to hold it to consistent treatment of supernatural phenomena.
posted morning of June 16th, 2009 by Jeremy
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