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Essay on The Stowaway by Julian Barnes

Decent Essays

February 11, 2008 “The Stowaway” is a revolutionary story that presents a unique outlook on the age-old tale of Noah’s Ark. Told from the viewpoint of a bold, outspoken woodworm that sneaks onto the ship, the story defies the traditional telling of the classic flood story. Rather, the woodworm relates unheard of insight on the arduous trip within the ark, the humorous animals he experienced the journey with, and the untrue details that characterize the biblical story. However, the most remarkable information the woodworm includes in the story involves the character of Noah himself. In “The Stowaway,” Julian Barnes uses the voice of the woodworm to depict the character of Noah as a depraved individual. The woodworm brings to our …show more content…

The animals were afraid of Noah and he evidently took out his anger on them. The woodworm points out that some of the animals still bear marks from the beatings Noah gave them centuries ago. This quote also demonstrates the abundant irony throughout the story. The woodworm tells the reader that Noah is either praying or beating animals. This is extremely ironic, due to the fact that a person who prays a lot should not be abusive, as this is against religious values. Noah was also a jealous person who disliked animals that were more popular than he was. The woodworm supports this with his account of the unicorn. As the text of the story itself says, “The unavoidable fact is that Noah was jealous. We all looked up to the unicorn and he couldn’t stand it” (16). The text later says that because everyone liked the unicorn, Noah had it “casseroled” and his family ate it (16). This demonstrates both the jealousy and selfishness of Noah. If he wasn’t the center of attention, he made sure he eliminated whoever was stealing his spotlight. A person as “righteous” as Noah should not be looking for admiration. Rather, he should be concerned with helping the animals and his family survive the flood. Perhaps the biggest flaw in Noah’s character is his self-centeredness. The woodworm comments on this flaw when he says that, “You’re

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