There are books that will be forgotten immediately you close the last page. Others will have a lasting impact on your reading career years down the line. Behind the Blue Curtain is a marvelous title by Steven Millhauser. It features a young boy as the protagonist and opens as the boy makes a trip to the movie theater. He is usually accompanied by the father for these Saturday night movies but this time it is different.
Boys at his age are comfortable being accompanied by their father. However, the protagonist chooses a unique path where he goes alone. His desire is to understand how the world works. He is interested in insight and knowledge as opposed to material wealth. This is an outstanding trait for a boy of his age.
The method of narration makes it easier for a reader to identify with the story that this boy is giving. The narrative is told in first person. It is as if the reader is listening to a narration from the boy and not actually reading a book. This makes it easier to identify with his quest and challenges along this path. It is him who says that he feels like his father is trying to protect him. This immediately trikes the reader as a boy in pursuit of own agenda.
Steven is very clever with the setting of his story. He has deliberately concealed it, leaving you to guess that it is in summer at a movie theater. According to the description, it is the twentieth century. Though the main character is a boy, the target reader and ideas explored are not for boyhood fantasies. They are meant for a mature audience and not the flip flop of boyhood.
A spin to the story happens when a woman appears. She is described as a Mirror Reflection. This is a smart stylistic approach considering that mirrors are associated with showing identical images yet these images are reversed. The woman displays similarity to the main character yet is a perfect opposite of him to some extent. That is conflict right there. The author has mastered his literary stylistics.
There is conflict displayed in a boy who has to choose between knowledge already acquired and continuing in darkness that most people live. Since he has acquired the knowledge behind these curtains, a certain part of him has to die and another boy be born. This death will occur when he slips into the office of the janitor and sleeps. His waking up in a dream signifies the rebirth.
The theme of transformation is perfectly explored in his desire to shed boyhood ignorance and gain knowledge or light. The author uses the image of light and walking through the candelabras to signify this transformation. The writer has also perfectly developed his characters especially the description given to this boy. The reader has a clear picture of who he or she is dealing with and can judge the actions of this boy in the required fashion.
The mode of narration makes the story one of the best you will ever read. The curious nature of this main character also reflects in almost everyone at a certain point in life. This makes for a universal read. With well-developed characters and themes, you have a perfect narrative for both leisure reading as well as academic pursuit.
Boys at his age are comfortable being accompanied by their father. However, the protagonist chooses a unique path where he goes alone. His desire is to understand how the world works. He is interested in insight and knowledge as opposed to material wealth. This is an outstanding trait for a boy of his age.
The method of narration makes it easier for a reader to identify with the story that this boy is giving. The narrative is told in first person. It is as if the reader is listening to a narration from the boy and not actually reading a book. This makes it easier to identify with his quest and challenges along this path. It is him who says that he feels like his father is trying to protect him. This immediately trikes the reader as a boy in pursuit of own agenda.
Steven is very clever with the setting of his story. He has deliberately concealed it, leaving you to guess that it is in summer at a movie theater. According to the description, it is the twentieth century. Though the main character is a boy, the target reader and ideas explored are not for boyhood fantasies. They are meant for a mature audience and not the flip flop of boyhood.
A spin to the story happens when a woman appears. She is described as a Mirror Reflection. This is a smart stylistic approach considering that mirrors are associated with showing identical images yet these images are reversed. The woman displays similarity to the main character yet is a perfect opposite of him to some extent. That is conflict right there. The author has mastered his literary stylistics.
There is conflict displayed in a boy who has to choose between knowledge already acquired and continuing in darkness that most people live. Since he has acquired the knowledge behind these curtains, a certain part of him has to die and another boy be born. This death will occur when he slips into the office of the janitor and sleeps. His waking up in a dream signifies the rebirth.
The theme of transformation is perfectly explored in his desire to shed boyhood ignorance and gain knowledge or light. The author uses the image of light and walking through the candelabras to signify this transformation. The writer has also perfectly developed his characters especially the description given to this boy. The reader has a clear picture of who he or she is dealing with and can judge the actions of this boy in the required fashion.
The mode of narration makes the story one of the best you will ever read. The curious nature of this main character also reflects in almost everyone at a certain point in life. This makes for a universal read. With well-developed characters and themes, you have a perfect narrative for both leisure reading as well as academic pursuit.
About the Author:
When you are searching for information about Behind the Blue Curtain, come to our web pages today. More details are available at http://www.stanmason.com/about now.
No comments:
Post a Comment