Note #35
Passage Analysis
"Yes, he thought, you're the top story today, all right. And you'll be the top story until you're dead. You're a source of fear and fascination--like some freak of nature--and all those people choking with boredom owe their pleasure to you. As for your gun, it's obvious that it will kill only the innocent. You'll be its last victim"
This passage elucidates Said's obsession with his artificial grandeur and his delusions of his own significance. It serves to characterise Said as a delusional man in a confused state of mind, evoking a sense of contempt from the readers, yet also a latent sympathy.
Through the employment of an internal monologue, it is revealed that he considers himself to be innocent even though he has murdered two innocent civilians himself. This showcases his lack of remorse or conscience concerning anything that obstructs his attainment of revenge. His realisation of his own impending downfall can be said to be a form of anagnorisis, where he is struck by the realisation that his murder of two innocent people will only lead him to ruin. This showcases an awareness of his demoralised state, yet is accompanied by a lack of regret or guilt, highlighting the nature and degree of his hamartia, which was his blinding thirst for revenge. Although not fully exemplifying the tragic hero archetype, glimpses of Said's conformity are present throughout the novel.
Said's unfaltering tendency to victimise himself is a continuation of the isolationist theme, which ultimately climactically culminates with his death at the hands of his enemies, a direct result of his unabashed glorification of his malevolent goals, as showcased in this passage. Through alliteration in the phrase "fear and fascination", both aspects are rhythmically juxtaposed to highlight the contrasting reactions to his pursuits. Mahfouz utilises slightly animalistic imagery to label Said as a "freak of nature" to highlight how society had repeatedly dispirited Said and fuelled his thirst for revenge by parading him as a mere source of temporary entertainment, whilst he remained suffocated and frustrated by his failure to fulfil acts that would define his entire existence. Mahfouz's constant usage of violent imagery such as "choking with boredom" serves to characterise society itself as a group of hedonistic individuals unapathetic to the pain and suffering of Said as their interest in his exploits only provides them with amusement. This depiction of society aims to evoke a more sympathetic response from the readers themselves.
Passage Analysis
"Yes, he thought, you're the top story today, all right. And you'll be the top story until you're dead. You're a source of fear and fascination--like some freak of nature--and all those people choking with boredom owe their pleasure to you. As for your gun, it's obvious that it will kill only the innocent. You'll be its last victim"
This passage elucidates Said's obsession with his artificial grandeur and his delusions of his own significance. It serves to characterise Said as a delusional man in a confused state of mind, evoking a sense of contempt from the readers, yet also a latent sympathy.
Through the employment of an internal monologue, it is revealed that he considers himself to be innocent even though he has murdered two innocent civilians himself. This showcases his lack of remorse or conscience concerning anything that obstructs his attainment of revenge. His realisation of his own impending downfall can be said to be a form of anagnorisis, where he is struck by the realisation that his murder of two innocent people will only lead him to ruin. This showcases an awareness of his demoralised state, yet is accompanied by a lack of regret or guilt, highlighting the nature and degree of his hamartia, which was his blinding thirst for revenge. Although not fully exemplifying the tragic hero archetype, glimpses of Said's conformity are present throughout the novel.
Said's unfaltering tendency to victimise himself is a continuation of the isolationist theme, which ultimately climactically culminates with his death at the hands of his enemies, a direct result of his unabashed glorification of his malevolent goals, as showcased in this passage. Through alliteration in the phrase "fear and fascination", both aspects are rhythmically juxtaposed to highlight the contrasting reactions to his pursuits. Mahfouz utilises slightly animalistic imagery to label Said as a "freak of nature" to highlight how society had repeatedly dispirited Said and fuelled his thirst for revenge by parading him as a mere source of temporary entertainment, whilst he remained suffocated and frustrated by his failure to fulfil acts that would define his entire existence. Mahfouz's constant usage of violent imagery such as "choking with boredom" serves to characterise society itself as a group of hedonistic individuals unapathetic to the pain and suffering of Said as their interest in his exploits only provides them with amusement. This depiction of society aims to evoke a more sympathetic response from the readers themselves.
His realisation of his own impending downfall can be said to be a form of anagnorisis, where he is struck by the realisation that his murder of two innocent people will only lead him to ruin. This showcases an awareness of his demoralised state, yet is accompanied by a lack of regret or guilt, highlighting the nature and degree of his hamartia, which was his blinding thirst for revenge.
ReplyDeleteFixing: Through alliteration in the phrase "fear and fascination", both aspects are rhythmically juxtaposed to highlight the contrasting reactions to his pursuits.
ReplyDeletePossible other way of writing: Through alliteration in the phrase "fear and fascination", both aspects are rhythmically juxtaposed to highlight the contrasting reactions to his pursuits.