Sixth Reflection on THE ENGLISH PATIENT

The War

The Villa

After glancing through the last few pages of the novel, it is now the right time to come back to our original inquiry: are people completely altruistic? In one of my previous reflections, I have firmly acknowledged Hana as one of the most altruistic person in the world. However, is she completely altruistic? I am afraid that I have to oppose and revise my previous opinion. Although it seems that the patient ties Hana to an unsafe place, she sees him as freeing her from the awful horrors of war. Moreover, the English patient makes her feel that she can once again become emotionally attached to someone, and that she can finally let down her guard. They rely on each other and the level of trust between them continues to reinforce each minute. Thus, Hana’s aid for the English patient is only partially altruistic because by living in the isolated villa, she is able to fulfill her desire to escape the reality and the brutality of war, and once again bring herself to humanity.

Fifth Reflection on THE ENGLISH PATIENT

Hana

The English Patient

Caravaggio

Kip

With the emergence of two new characters, the story becomes more complicating. Living under the same shelter, Hana begins to feel uncomfortable in the company of the three men. Conflicts build up as the two new characters, Caravaggio and Kip, both show their interest in Hana, the only woman in the villa.  However, Hana is deeply in love with the disfigured English patient. Caravaggio tries to tell her that it is foolish to throw herself away on a ghost, but she does not care. Caravaggio is frustrated with Hana because she is so in love with the English patient that she refuse to do the reasonable thing and leave Italy to save herself. At this point of the story, I realize that the attraction between the English patient and the young nurse is way beyond physical features or any other superficial elements. Their love is purely internal, even though, not many words are shared between them. On the other hand, a seemingly inevitable romantic relationship between Hana and the Indian, Kip, soon develops. However, the love she feels for Kip is of a different kind. Kip becomes her protector, a strong, healthy male figure to save her from dangers. Hana shows her toughness when she is with the patient, while she suddenly becomes a fragile woman seeking for protection when she is with Kip. After all, Ondaatje explores the nature of love, which can surface even in the middle of war. 

Fourth Reflection on THE ENGLISH PATIENT

Ambling in the middle of the novel, I am often affected by the recurring image of a young nurse taking care of a critically burnt soldier in an unsafe nunnery in the hills of Florence. Every time I encounter this familiar scenario, I simultaneously face a barrage of questions. How does she manage to deal with a disfigured man? Does she have any hidden fears and hesitations while facing the unfamiliar gestures, behaviors, and limitations of a severely disabled man? If yes, how does she overcome the fears and transform into love? In the end, I always ask myself if any of us in can do what she does. Can we? From childhood onward, teachers and parents incessantly remind us that we should not discriminate those who are disabled, yet to treat them equally, or even better. Everyone knows that it is our responsibility to help those who do not have perfect bodies as we do. Nevertheless, how many of us have transferred this notion into action? It is definitely much more difficult than we could imagine to do something similar to what Hana does. However, we must overcome the challenge and learn to take actions to help those who are disabled. Our effort may not repair their damaged bodies; however, our love can gradually cure their damaged hearts. 

Third Reflection on THE ENGLISH PATIENT

           As I reach deeper into the book, I realize that the personalities and behaviors of the characters appear rather unfamiliar to me. Above all, they are going through the brutality of war, while I can only imagine the hardship of living under gunfire. The characters in the novel are somehow more cautious, calm, and tough-minded.

Hana, a young nurse who takes care of a critically burned English patient, appears to me as the most complex character so far. She does not reveal much about herself. Her stubborn and altruistic nature is exposed as she refuses to leave the dangerous war zone and insists to look after the burned patient. Most importantly, she never seems to be expecting anything in return. Just like the old saying has stated: to give without any reward has a special quality of its own. Suddenly, a new inquiry comes to me: how many people in today’s society are willing to sacrifice themselves to help others like Hana does?

The English patient has been a young, honorable soldier, but is now all damaged by the inhumane war. His life is entirely changed. Without the nurse, he is nothing more than a feeble, helpless, and disabled man. However, I believe that he is unlucky and lucky at the same time. It is his good fortune to meet such an altruistic nurse, who is willing to take care of a severely burnt soldier without anything in return.

          

So far in the story, there is almost no dialogue, not even many words exchanged between the two characters. However, through subtle actions and gestures, a solid level of trust is shown between them. Maybe this is another gist of the novel—communication does not always present in a well-developed relationship.  

All in all, the author keeps on leaving massive space for the readers to imagine and explore what should be grasped through the novel. 

Second Reflection on THE ENGLISH PATIENT

In the novel “The English Patient”, a wartime story is depicted by Anthony Minghella’s use of a complex narrative system. The settings are directly conveyed to the readers from the points of view of several different characters. In addition, the deficiency of dialogue provides the readers ample room for imagination. Even though, I have only read through the beginning of the novel, I am already overwhelmed with incessant imageries delivered by the author’s elaborated language.

The uneasiness of wartime atmosphere is directly delivered to me by the description of the villa and the dessert, which suddenly reminds me of isolation. Moreover, the lack of conversation and the barrenness of land successfully demonstrate the grief, uncertainty, and insecurity brought by a drastic war. It is surprising how an emotionally intricate story, which depicts a combination of hatred and love, could be carried out in such placid and phlegmatic language.

All in all, just by reading the first few pages, I am already encircled by the typical oppressive war atmosphere. Certainly, I cannot wait to get back to the novel and explore further more into the story. 

First Reflection on THE ENGLISH PATIENT

The novel that I have elaborately chosen to read is called The English Patient. It is a 1992 novel by Sri Lankan-Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje. After a brief research, I surprisingly found myself determined to read this Canadian novel not only because that it has won the Canadian Governor Generals Award and the Booker Prize for fiction, but also because that it was adapted into an award-winning film of the same name in 1996. Moreover, since I am very engaged in the historical events of the Second World War, which have been introduced to me in Social Studies, I am eagerly seeking for more stories that take place during that era. Through reading this novel, I hope to get a better sense of the WWII. Last but not least, at this very moment, my inquiry question is how love cures a man, who is both physically and mentally damaged by a brutal war.