What does it all mean & why AP?

Hello again readers, and welcome back to my blog!

This post will be my fifth and final, so if you've missed any of my other posts be sure to check those out. In this post, I'll be focusing primarily on the major theme(s) of the novel, and, as this assignment is for my AP English Literature class, what makes the novel "AP" quality?

If you didn't get a chance to read last week's post about the film compared to the novel, I'll give another brief overview of how the story came to an end. 

After Kip hears that the Atomic bomb has been dropped on Japan, he goes into a state of frenzy. Kip takes his rifle into the villa, marches into Almásy's room, and points it at him. Kip unleashes his frustration and anger on Almásy, denouncing the history of racial oppression at the hands of countries like America and the United Kingdom that has pervaded the history of the world. 

After his outburst, Kip decides to get as far away from the villa as he can. He takes his motorcycle and rides through the hills of Northern Italy until he reaches the ocean, ruminating about his experiences of the war. 

I was very surprised at how quickly the novel ended as I didn't see Kip's psychological break coming, although now that I think about it it does make a lot of sense. Kip's role as a sapper was one that I didn't fully understand until the end of the novel. I was confused about Ondaatje's choice to make Kip a sapper until its consumption of his character tied in with what happened at the end of his story. I loved how Ondaatje was able to make apparent exactly why Kip reacted the way he did through Kip's character development throughout the entire novel. 

Although I was a bit taken aback initially, I thought that the novel's ending was very well thought out and provided thematic reinforcement very well. 

What does it all mean?

In dissecting the major themes of The English Patient, there is one that I cannot neglect to recognize, and it ties in closely with the ending. The English Patient suggests that one's ethnicity and heritage are an essential part of how they are treated, and determine certain outcomes in their life. The novel argues that identity holds power over those who possess it.

Kip's outburst at the end represents the link between his heritage and the version of him that we saw at the villa. Throughout the novel, Kip's detachment from his family back in India was a major part of his backstory. Instead of maintaining a strong sense of national identity, Kip strongly associates with English culture, growing very close to his mentor Lord Suffolk. 

Even though Kip has a strong link to the western world, arguably stronger than his association with India, at the end of the novel we see that Kip still has a very inward connection to his home and family, despite everything else. 

Perhaps the most prominent example of heritage and identity determining outcome is found in Almásy's treatment at El Taj.

" 'Are you telling me the English did not believe you? No one listened to you?' 

'No one listened'

'Why?'

'I didn't give them the right name.'

. . . I said she was my wife. I said Katharine. Her husband was dead. I said she was badly injured, in a cave in the Gilf Kebir, at Uweinat, north of the Ain Dua well. She needed water. She needed food. I would go back with them to guide them. I said all I wanted was a jeep. One of those damn jeeps . . . They were pulling spies out of the desert. Everyone with a foreign name who drifted into these small oasis towns was suspect" (250-251).

This part of the story was especially heart-wrenching. Katharine died in the cave after no one would help Almásy because of his name. This example also illustrates how one's identity can determine how they're treated and what happens to them. Instead of being assisted, Almásy was thrown in prison. 

Katharine's death also expands this theme, although her death was not caused by her own identity, it was caused by Almásy's. 

I thought that the novel's exploration of how identity and heritage relate to circumstances of one's life was reminiscent of another novel that discusses the concept of identity that I read in my AP English Literature class this year: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In The Handmaid's Tale Atwood uses the lens of her dystopia, Gilead, to examine how identity and human connection play a role in the lives of the oppressed.

The English Patient's ability to examine the power of identity and heritage through each character in the novel was beautiful, haunting, and illuminating. 

Why AP?

As I've discussed frequently in this blog, I think what makes this novel so captivating is the multiplicity of stories that it contains. By not exclusively focusing on one character, Ondaatje can tell many stories and connect them all at the villa north of Florence.

On the AP English Literature Exam, the third free-response question asks the student to compose an essay that responds to a given prompt using a novel they've read. The prompts are designed to engage with many common themes students have been presented in their readings, and allow the student to utilize a certain text they've read in their response.

Free-response question three on the AP Exam is where I feel The English Patient shines. Because of the array of stories a student would have at their disposal, there exists a certain versatility that makes the novel very strong and well-worth reading in an Advanced Placement classroom. 

For example, the 2017 AP English Literature Exam Free-Response Question #3 is as follows: Select a novel, play, or epic poem that features a character whose origins are unusual or mysterious. Then write an essay in which you analyze how these origins shape the character and that character’s relationships, and how the origins contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.  

This question could easily be answered by The English Patient in several ways:

Kip's origins are certainly mysterious. As an Indian, his association with the western world is atypical, and it leads to him becoming a sapper, which impacts his relationships with others in the novel. Additionally, as I've discussed extensively, the ending of the novel certainly relates to its meaning as a whole and I think that Kip would be a very effective choice in responding to the AP prompt. 

Almásy would also be a good choice. His journey through the desert with the Bedouin and eventually to the villa is mysterious. And his disfigurement definitely impacts his relationships with the other characters. I think one could also discuss his time in the desert both before and during his affair with Katharine contribute to the complexity of his relationships both at the villa and before his tragic accident.

Caravaggio is a bit more tricky but still doable. His occupation leads to his disfigurement, which impacts his life and relationships, causing him to develop an addiction to morphine. This discussion I think would relate more to the theme of how the consequences of war are especially versatile.

I would personally either choose Kip or Almásy, but I could definitely see how one could also choose Caravaggio as well. 

I may be a little biased, as I absolutely loved this novel, but I firmly believe that having read The English Patient would contribute greatly to strong AP Exam performance.

This blog assignment has been one of my favorite assignments in all of high school. Not only did I love the book I read, but I also loved hearing from you! I want to take this opportunity again to thank each and every one of my readers. I've thoroughly enjoyed this assignment, and I'm very sad that it's over.

Thank you again,
Colby