How Nikki is important to the novel The Woman in the Dunes
The novel Woman in the Dunes, written by Kobo Abe the protagonist Nikki Jumpei is a key figure in developing the three main themes, alienation, impotency, and submission. Nikki Jempei is used to develop the theme of alienation because he experiences alienation and he also alienates others. Nikki’s role in shaping the theme of impotency is important because without Nikki there would be no way of weaving the theme into the novel. Another theme that Nikki is crucial in developing is the theme of submission. His role in shaping these themes are what makes the novel complete. Nikki does not fit in with the social norms of society. He is not a popular individual at his workplace and he does not seem to have many friends. He is put into a situation that shows how alienated he is from the world. Because he is already alienated emotionally from society when Kobo Abe puts Nikki into a situation where he becomes both emotionally and physically alienated from the world. He is put into a situation where he is being isolated from any other environment other than the sand dunes. In the sand dunes he is in a worn down house that is covered in sand and there is literally no way for him to interact with anyone but the woman. Nikki cannot accept the life that she leads and his attitude towards her is quite sharp. During his captivity he cannot stop thinking about his now former life. Although we know that Nikki is
To begin, important theme that runs through the novel is the idea strong female characters like Taylor and Lou Ann. Furthermore, Taylor does not care about a man in her life and tries her best to do everything in her
turn away from the face of God, Dimmesdale felt little relief from the iron chains of guilt and
The Women in the Dunes oral shined light on different perspectives concerning the motives of Nikki Junpei throughout the novel. Prior to the discussion I believed while Nikki had been in the dunes, he was given structure and security, which his previous life lacked. As a result he developed the fear of returning to a life where nothing was guaranteed and caused him to stay in the dunes. However, my peers mentioned how Nikki had somewhat became like a bug helpless to the sand that surrounded him. This comment allowed me to hypothesize that Nikki just like a bug had to adapt to his current surroundings or cease to exist. This meant that he had to let go of his ego. Initially, Nikki couldn’t look past his own knowledge about sand and refused
“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a story where it is portrayed from a feminist point of view, which is an important. This brings an importance to the reader because they should fully understand what a feminist perspective entails. The “Girls” consists of advice from a mother to her daughter. It is the mother’s plan to develop a bright path for her daughter and rebuke her at the same time. She had used the words of wisdom, but sort of repeated herself, especially to warn her daughter about not becoming a “slut”. The author wrote, “On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like a slut you are so bent on becoming” (Kincaid, 320). Besides these repetitions, the story does not move forward in a chronological fashion. There is not a beginning, middle,
The conflict of the Haisla people's spirituality and modern "white washing" of their culture has a major influence on Eden Robinson's novel Monkey Beach. The protagonist Lisa struggles to understand her spirituality and her family often dismisses any hint of spirituality. Lisa finds herself connected to nature but is does not fully understand why, leaving her to contemplate there meaning or existence by herself. Robinson’s use of allusion and imagery illuminate many key themes and implicit meanings throughout the passage.
Nikki expresses a sudden change in mindset after being trapped in the dunes with the woman for several months. After failing at escaping, Nikki felt that he was had reached the lowest point of his life. The villagers had manage to break Nikki emotionally and physically after being captured. In an unexpected turns of events, while Nikki is trying to capture a crow he discovered a way of making water with the very thing that cause him all his troubles. The sand that had keep him captive throughout the whole story was the salvation that could change his life. Near the end of the story, Nikki describes the impact of what this discovery can have towards him. The narrator states "The fact that he was still just as much at the bottom of the hole as ever had not changed, but he felt quite as if he had climbed to the top of a high tower. Perhaps the world had been turned upside down and its projections and depressions reversed" (Abe 235). Nikki's seems to be suggesting that his new discovery has open new doors to a future that seemed to be uncertain at first. Even though Nikki is still trapped at the bottom of the dunes, he feels as if his discovery has given him freedom already. By the end of the novel, Nikki has a sudden change of mind. For example, "There was no particular need to hurry about escaping. On the two-way ticket he held in his hand now, the destination and time of departure were blanks for him to fill in as he wished." (Abe 239). In this quote, the narrator seems to be suggesting that Nikki has finally experience a moment where he felt that he finally had a purpose in life. Nikki expresses that he currently has a two way ticket which he can choose his destiny. Since the beginning of the novel, Nikki felt that he had a one way ticket which represented his uncertain life. His one way ticket was a narrow light that is filled with uncertainty and a meaningless cycle. Even though Nikki does not realized, his new life serves more
The array of themes lead to the idea of female independence and individuality. Throughout the novel, the themes of identity, feminism, and marriage and love come together to empower women and give them a
The meaning or theme of this book is disloyalty and redemption from the guilt someone may have caused themselves. Two major scenes of rape in this book contribute significantly to the meaning of the book. In the first significant scene
I think the theme of this story is the understanding of sin. The author reveals this through actions and events in the story. The main character of the story has seen and experienced instances of sin. For example, she handled the snuff boxes which she had been forbidden to touch (Lass 19). This form of sin that she committed would be considered disobedience. Another example is when she had made fun of the paperboy and was told that he was less fortunate that she (Lass 19). She was not fully aware of her sinfulness until she was told what sin was and had really thought about it (Lass 23). Once she
The characters in On the Beach all have different ways to spend their time, and cope with the fact that their time is limited. Each one does his or her own thing and has their own motives. The two characters I will be writing about are Moira Davidson and Mary Holmes.
Houston's main character has an active role. She is the one who searches for meaning, tries to understand the man she is in a relationship with, and looks for the answers to questions that bother her. The reader accompanies her in these explorations as a silent and invisible witness. In contrast, in Lessing's work the sunbathing woman is a blank space. Everything we know about her is through the observations of men working on the roof adjoining hers and their discourses about her. She does not lead the narrative; instead her silence invites the reader to ask questions, understand and analyze the behavior of men.
After using the historical approach to analyze this story and researching the author herself I found an underlying theme of freedom from social norms with the plot and the character portrayed contributing to that theme.
One major theme is the hardships of being a mother. In this story, she must discover how to become a successful mother on her own. She learned the hard way when raising her first child Emily, who later was not emotionally connected with her mother. Another theme is guilt and regret. The mother had to deal with the influence of poverty and the brutal conditions that the family had to accept.
The first reason that Nikki is like me is sh is not popular in her middle school. I am not very popular in school. I think that when I read this book it makes me feel like someone actually knows how what I feel like in middle school. When she goes to school she just says to herself because she does not want to be picked on, but sometimes thinks that she is getting attention but she is actually being laughed at.
In the novel, Nectar in a Sieve, the author, Kamala Markandaya creates various themes. One theme from the book is that tensions can be caused by modernization and industrial progress. This theme is highly prevalent throughout the story and broadens the reader’s outlook on modernization. Markandaya writes of a primitive village that is going through a severe change. Her ability to form a plethora of characters with different opinions, yet to share one main culture, helps highlight the tensions in the village.