Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Tiger's Wife: Prologue and Chapter 1
40 days of the soul...what religion are we talking about here? What war is being referenced?
Why is this family so secretive that they will resort to lies about health issues? Is your family like this at all?
Her grandmother clearly knows that the narrator is lying to her. Why doesn't she press harder once she knows this?
What's with all the drawings and portraits of the dog?
What does the fact that the parrot spouts poetry tell us as readers?
Why do Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house? What does this tell us about them?
Why doesn't Natalia tell Zora about her grandfather's death yet? They are supposed to be BFFs.
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not afected by the tiger attack most likely didn't affect her the way it normaly would because her grandfather was unaffecxted and her grandfather still love tiges so she does to. If you read it does say she repeats her grandfather by repating him and calling the janitor a fool. The grandmother I think doesn't press to know the truth because she knows that her granddaughter will ethier tell her in time or the grandmother is happy just to know she is right in knowing the girl is lieing. I'm thinking the drawings of the dog are simbolic somehow. someone in the house must read poetry out ud often for the birds to repeat so much of it. Barba and Nada are nice people that is what they are telling me by letting the digger people stay in thier house. As Natalia tells us in the begining Zora would make her go home and she may not have come to terms with it yet.
I believe that the narrator wasn't more affected by the tiger attack because she saw that her grandfather wasn't effected and just called the janitor a fool like him. I think the grandmother doesn't press her harder because she either doesn't really want to know or that she thinks the narrator will tell her in her own time. I think that Barba and Nada are great people and are nice that’s why they let the diggers stay at there house. Natalia doesn’t tell Zora yet because Zora will make her go home and it will upset Zora because she wants to talk to her grandfather before she makes a choice.
The 40 days of the soul, or the lingering soul, appears to be a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, specifically Greek and Russian Orthodoxy. This suits the novel very well, as the setting (an undisclosed Balkan state) would likely have been influenced by both the Greeks and Russians due to its proximity to both nations. Although I don’t believe the book ever stated explicitly what version of Orthodox Christianity the main character’s belonged to, I am certain it was one of those two, as Eastern Orthodox is, according to Wikipedia, the main religion of the area.
I’m not quite sure whether the wars described in the book were the Balkan Wars of the 1910s or the two World Wars. Perhaps someone could clarify further. The wars are incredibly similar and I cannot gather enough information from the book to make a firm decision, although I am leaning towards the World Wars.
Natalia’s family is unorthodox, as is her friend, Zora. Perhaps Natalia covers up her grandpa’s death to Zora because Zora wanted her grandfather’s advice, and Natalia did not want to disappoint her. However, I believe that Natalia didn’t disseminate that information because it was her coping mechanism to deal with her grief. Indeed, his death doesn’t seem to affect her until much later in the novel. This leads back to the odd family dynamics – usually, the death of a beloved grandfather would elicit strong emotions. Her grandmother should have been extremely shocked at the death of her husband because he never clued her in on his sickness. As such, she should have been appalled at Natalia’s blatant lies. In this case, I believe that the years of war caused Natalia to be reluctant to outwardly show her emotions, and allowed the grandmother to accept the lies. It made life easier for them to bury emotions and believe lies.
In my opinion, the narrator isn't more affected by the tiger attack because it showed to have little affect on her grandfather. She looks up to her grandfather, and this is shown as she reiterates calling the man a fool. The attack didn't change her grandfather's love for tigers because he knew the incident was caused by the zookeeper's faulty decision. Since her grandfather still loved tigers, the narrator continues to as well.
I believe the reason the family is secretive is because everyone was going through tough times in the war and no one wanted to augment what they already had to deal with. When the grandfather found out about his illness, he refused to tell his wife because he knew that everyday that's all she'd be thinking about and would spend more time worrying than enjoying the time they had left together. My family will sometimes try to underplay an issue, but we would never hide something like that from one another.
The grandmother stops trying to get the narrator to talk because she knows that her and her grandfather had a secretive relationship and did things all the time together that no one else knew about. She knew they had done things and seen things that were just between them, and that is how they would forever stay. Even if she continued to press the issue, the grandmother knew she would never get an answer, let alone the truth; so she saw no point in continuing to argue.
The narrator is not that affected by the tiger attack because she was young and she still continues to love tigers because she blames the janitor for the tiger attack just like her grandfather did. I read online that Christians believe a soul is given 40 days from the time of death to settle unfinished business before it goes to its final destination. I was confused by this though because I am Christian and I have never heard about the 40 day thing. The family is secretive about illnesses/ pains to spare the other family’s feelings and fears. Thankfully my family is not like this because I feel like that would cause more pain in the long run. In my opinion the grandmother presses very hard for Natalia to tell her the truth. The grandmother keeps repeating herself on the phone saying how Natalia is lying to her and the grandmother told Natalia to swear to her that she wasn’t lying and Natalia kept quiet. I think the dog portraits around the house mean the owners care about the dog very much because it also said the dog was standing right next to Barba when the girls first arrived. Parrots repeat what they hear so obviously somebody must read poetry in the house and I’m pretty sure it is Barba because Nada is embarrassed by the bird’s words and Barba corrects the bird at one point on the poem he is reciting. Barba and Nada let the diggers stay at their house because the diggers are doing work for them and they probably don’t have a place to stay. This tells me that Barba and Nada are compassionate people. Natalia doesn’t tell Zora about her grandfather because Natalia doesn’t want to have to go home and she doesn’t want to let Zora down because Zora keeps talking about how she is going to ask for the grandfathers advice when they get home.
Natalia wasn’t affected by the tiger attack because her grandfather didn’t seem to be affected. She continues to love tigers because her grandfather continues to love them, and she looks up to her grandfather.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, a soul lingers on earth for a short period of time.
I wouldn’t call the family secretive; I just believe they care too much about everyone’s feelings. Natalia and her grandfather hid her grandfather’s bad health to spare her grandmother worry. My family does hide some bad stuff from me, but not to the extent of Natalia and her grandfather.
Natalia’s grandmother isn’t oblivious to her granddaughter’s and her husband’s secretive ways. I think she didn’t force Natalia to tell the truth because she didn’t want to make her feel bad and guilty. Her grandmother probably knows that Natalia and her grandfather were hiding his sickness so she wouldn’t worry.
The portraits of Bis weren’t explained, but the dog is obviously of some importance. Even the orphans drew the dog.
When I learned that the parrot recites poetry, I learned that the family, either Nada or Barba Ivan or both, reads poetry.
Nada and Barba Ivan let the diggers stay at their house because the diggers say they have a distant cousin buried in the vineyard. The diggers say that they will be sick until they can find the body. The fact that Nada and Barba let the sick strangers stay shows that they are very caring people.
Natalia didn’t tell Zora about her grandfather’s death because she knew Zora would make her leave to go home to his funeral.
I don’t believe the narrator was seriously affected by the tiger attack because her grandfather wasn’t fazed by it. He called the janitor a fool and just let it be. She is still able to love tigers because she sees them in the eyes of her grandfather. Also, she tends to follow what her grandfather says and does, like when he called the janitor a fool.
Forty days of the soul refers to the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is also known as the lingering soul. Like said earlier, this is fitting to the novel based upon their location. The war they speak of, I am still unsure what to make of it, or what it was.
The family is so secretive to protect fears or feelings. No one in the family wants to cause panic due to medical reasons. I would be devastated if my family was this way, because the fear of knowing sometimes prepares you for the worst. My boyfriends father is like this though, and it comes back to bite you later.
I believe the grandmother doesn’t press harder on Natalia because she is potentially too upset to do so, and she also doesn’t want to upset her. What is the point of upsetting someone if they are one of the few people you have left?
Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house as “an act of charity” according to the narrator. Since they are very sick and more than likely poor, the diggers have nowhere else to go. This shows that Barba and Nada have a good heart, and want to see their city prosper.
Honestly, I'm not quite sure why the narrator is not more affected by the tiger attack. That would most definitely be brutal to watch, and I can't imagine anyone just standing by and continue watching someone get their arm chewed off by a tiger! I guess maybe she continued to watch because for one, she was probably shocked and could not believe it was happening, and two, her grandfather continued to watch as well, so why shouldn't she? I believe she is able to still love tigers even after she viewed the attack because her grandfather loved them so much, and also, it was truly a natural reaction that the tiger had to a human getting too close to its territory.
I personally think that the family is secretive to the point that they will lie about health issues because they do not want to worry their family. I currently have an aunt and her father is quite frequently caught lying about his health. Although he does not want to worry his family with his health problems, along with feeling like he is a burden, it is much better to know so that family members can get him help before it is too late.
As for Natalia's grandmother not pressing harder for answers, I believe she wants too, but she does not want conflict. As the family is already going through a rough time with the death, the last thing they need is relational problems. Also it is a depressing time for everyone, and prying out answers to get the truth is not what they need. I also believe Natalia's grandmother may fear what she might hear if she gets the truth.
Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house so that they continue working. The families there need all of the job opportunities and help that they can get in order to obtain better lives. The families are quite poor, and many have sick family members and children. When Nada gives a cookie to the little girl who comes to the door, it showed me that they are compassionate. Although in some things they say, they may sound selfish, I believe they truly care for the families and especially the children, and that is why I think they keep the families around.
Natalia does not tell Zora about her grandfathers death because she wants to continue on her journey. She does not want to quit and head home, but to continue exploring and enjoying her time away. Natalia knows that if she tells Zora about her grandfather, she will insist that they head back so that Natalia can be of attendance at her grandfathers funeral.
Adult’s emotions and reaction affect us much more than we realize, especially at such a young age. She wasn’t as affected because her grandfather wasn’t. He didn’t fear the tiger’s attack, but simply blamed it on the combination of the keeper’s stupidity and the tiger’s instincts.
The religion is Christian, specifically the Greek Orthodox Church. I believe the war mentioned is WWII.
I think the people in her family are just very independent and very strong. They think they’re doing the right thing by not worrying the ones they love.
On one level, I think Natalia’s grandmother is angry at her for not telling her the truth about what was going on with her grandfather. Assuming Natalia did know something everyone else didn’t. But at the same time, maybe she doesn’t really want to know. If it was bad enough that he didn’t tell her, maybe she should just respect his wishes and let it be.
I feel that Barba and Nada are very kind, hospitable people. They were very kind to Natalia and Zora. How could they just kick out those people, especially with sick children?
Natalia not telling Zora has something to do with Natalia finding out what her grandfather had been doing with the time prior to his death. She knew something was up, especially since he told no one about it, not even her. It was something she needed to do alone without her concerned friend trying to help.
The narrator is not greatly affected by the tiger attack, because her grandfather isn't. When she sees that he isn't reacting to it, she figures she doesn't need to react either. And when her grandfather calls the man a fool, she does as well.
She continues to be able to love tigers because she sees them the same way that her grandfather does, and he continues to love them after the attack, so she does too.
40 days of the soul is part of the Christian religion, specifically the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The narrator's grandmother knows that the narrator is lying, but I think she doesn't press harder because she is afraid of what the truth might be, and the fact that she already knows that the narrator is lying.
I feel that Barba and Nada almost fall under the category "too nice for their own good." They are very nice, hospital people, and could simply not turn away people with sick children, even though they kind of don't want them there.
Natalia does not tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she doesn't want Zora to make them return home.
The narrator isn't effected by the attack because people tend to overreact and freak out when others do. Her grandfather was very calm which showed her several things. It proved that tigers are dangerous animals and that she is not to play or get close to. That people can be dumb around wild animals which can and do end in sisuations like this one. And that it is apart of making the decision to get close to them.
I myself am a Greek Orthodox Christian which is known to most as "Eastern Orthodox Christians" which 40 days of soul is something strongly believed.
My family is very open with just about everything, therefore secrets don't seem to really be an option!
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfathers death because she has worked so hard to get to where she's at, that if she was to tell Zora, she would send Natalia home.
The family is so secretive about their health issues to save the rest of the family the trouble in worrying. Natalia's grandfather confided in her because he knew that he could trust her, and he had to tell someone. He didn't want to worry his wife or daughter with the fact of him dieing. I think that most families tell each other very important things, but they might save the harsh details, so to remain in a sense of somewhat calmness.
The fact that grandfather told Natalia, and her grandmother knows it but wont try to hard to get it out shows that her grandmother respects the bond that Natalia and grandfather had. Sure she wants to hear it from Natalia but she might feel like, when Natalia is ready she will tell me.
The dog portraits everywhere show how much the painter loved/loves that dog. It probably has been a loyal sidekick through lots of hard times. Plus there might not be much else to paint.
The poetry spouting parrot shows us that the owners of the parrot love poetry. If they read poetry out loud then the bird can hear it and repeat it.
The narrator clearly looks up to her grandfather, and because he isn't greatly affected by the attack, neither is she. She plays it off how her grandfather does and doesn't look too deeply into it. This is also the reason why she is able to continue loving the tigers.
I think the family is so secretive when it comes to health issues in an attempt to spare everyone else's feelings. For example, when the narrator's grandparents lied about having surgery. At the time the narrator and her mother were on vacation, and her grandparents didn't want to ruin the trip. But in the case of the narrator's grandfather's health problem, keeping it a secret just seems to have made the situation worse going as far as forcing the narrator to lie even after he has died.
The narrator's grandmother doesn't continue to press about the lying because she already knows that the narrator is lying. I think she just doesn't want to be lied to more, and would rather wait and see if the narrator will tell her on her own time. The family also knew that the narrator and her grandfather had a very close and sometimes secretive relationship, so the fact that the narrator would be the only one that knew what was going on doesn't come as a surprise.
For the parrot to be quoting poetry, he would have had to have heard it first somewhere. So that shows that someone in the house is reading poetry and some point or another.
There are a couple of reasons why Natalia wouldn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death. First, Zora would tell Natalia to return home for the funeral. Natalia wants to stay where she is to help with the medical problems of the locals. If she was forced to leave, she wouldn't be able to complete what she set out to do. Also, Zora has a very respectful relationship with Natalia's grandfather, often wanting to ask him for advice. If Zora were to find out about his death, she could be equally upset, again disrupting their current job.
The reason that the narrator isn't affected by the tiger's attack because, like her grandfather, she wasn't afraid or felt she was in trouble by the beasts' outburst and continues to love tigers. She grew up with her grandfather going to see the animals, and the tigers had always fasinated the both of them, so the attack at the zoo had no impact on her.
I'm sure that there's a reason for Natalia's family to keep things from her but so far it's hard to say why they do it. With my family (including extended), we tell each other most of what's going on or what's happened in the family. Some things I'm sure they hide still, but I think mostly because we don't want to look at the family member any differently because of something that happened to them or what they did. Overall, some secrets are difficult to hide, but some should sometimes be told to those who need to know.
The Narrator isn't affected by the tiger attack because her grandfather is unfazed. She felt brave because her grandfather was holding her hand. Like her grandfather, she also thought that the victim of the attack is a fool.
I think that the family is secretive because they feel the need to protect each other. Natalia and her grandfather are staying quiet to keep Natalia's grandmother from worrying. My grandparents are somewhat like this. They don't always tell us if something is wrong with one of them until they end up in the hospital. It's very scary sometimes.
I think that Natalia's grandmother stops pressing her for the truth because she either figures out they were doing it to protect her, or she's possibly scared of knowing how her husband died.
The narrator isn't more affected by the tiger attack because her grandfather isn't. She greatly looks up to her grandfather and she feels that because he isn't traumatized by it that she shouldn't be either.
Forty days of the soul is believed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is believed that the soul remains on earth 40 days after the person dies and is connected to Christ's resurrection on Easter to his ascension into heaven.
I think the grandmother doesn't press harder about the narrator lying because she doesn't wanna upset either of them more than they already are about his death.
I think Natalia doesnt tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she thinks Zora will make her go home to be with her family.
She isn't affected much by the tiger attack because she saw that it did not affect her grandfather. She looks up to him and trusts his opinion, so when she saw that he still loved tigers she also kept loving them.
The forty days of the soul is Christian and a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is a major religion in the Balkans. The war I think being referenced here is the 1992-1995 Balkan war.
I think the family is secretive because they don't want feelings to get hurt. I think the grandmother doesn't press more into the lies because she doesn't want to cause conflict in an already tragic situation.
She isn't affected by the attack because she saw her grandfather wasn't affected. She looks to him and sees that he isn't greatly traumatized so neither is she.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she thinks Zora will make her go home to be with her family.
The narrator isn’t affected much by tiger attack because her grandfather did not seem to be affected much by the tiger attack. Natalia’s grandfather remains calm, collected, and completely unfazed by the tiger attack. Instead he calls the janitor a fool for reaching inside the tiger’s cage and touching the tiger. Since the tiger attack did not cause any sort of reaction from the grandfather, I think Natalia did not think much of attack. She most likely assumed it was the janitor’s fault, not the tiger’s.
The family is so secretive that they will resort to lie about health issues. To me, Natalia’s grandfather seems like the type of person who keeps these issues to himself because he doesn’t want to worry or hurt anyone else. He doesn’t want to feel like a burden to his family members.
Although Natalia’s grandmother clearly knows that Natalia is lying to her, she doesn’t press harder. Natalia’s grandmother is obviously hurt that her husband and her granddaughter were hiding something from her, and even more upset that Natalia is continuing to lie to her. Natalia’s grandmother is also distraught over the death of her husband when he was away from home. I think Natalia’s grandmother is so emotional and troubled that she doesn’t really want to hear the truth at the moment.
Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house. This shows that they are kind, hospitable, and caring people.
Natalia doesn’t tell Zora about her grandfather’s death because she thinks that Zora will tell her to return home to her family, forcing Zora to inoculate all sixty of the children at the orphanage by herself. I believe Natalia is coping with her grandfather’s death by keeping it to herself.
Being secretive about ones health seems normal in this family. Ill health is a symbol of weakness and these people don't seem like the kind that point out their faults, they seem to be full of pride. Also they could be secretive because even though the doctors are not treating each other, there is still a form of doctor patient confidentiality between the two.
The parrot quoting poetry means that the people inside the house have special privileges that other people don't. Someone must have had a lot of free time to read poetry enough to a bird to get it into its long term memory. Or because the bird knew a poem better than any of them, that they were better off before the war, and now they have more things to do than read poetry.
I believe that the reason Natalia wasn’t affected by the tiger attack because she knew about tigers and their behavior; she also does much of what her grandfather does so a part of her probably was just following him. I feel she still loves tigers because when you are very passionate about something or someone even when they do bad things you still like them.
I think the grandmother realizes that this is hard for both Natalia and herself and she doesn’t want to make it harder for them both by pressing harder into the subject .
The fact that Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house tells us that they are sweet and kind. They want to help out anyone they can, to reach out a lending hang however and wherever they can.
Natalia thinks that if she tells Zora, Zora will make Natalia go home, which is not what Natalia wants.
The thing that struck me the most about the first two sections was the voice of the characters. When I first picked up the novel, I was accustomed to the relatively dry persona of Pi as a narrator- very prim, proper, and without much emotion (in his words, not his actions), even when he was discussing an especially disturbing situation. I was still half-expecting this sort of narration as I started the Tiger's Wife- I even mistakenly pictured the characters as Asian for the first page or two (not sure what part of "Balkan Peninsula" I didn't understand...). The fist time I came across the "f word," it took me off guard. I was still picturing these proper, articulate characters (like the ones in Pi), and along comes this glaring imperfection to interrupt the formal flow of things. I loved it. In this novel, all of the characters have their quirks and imperfections and make no marked attempt at masking them. This makes them seem more "3D" to me- instead of flat against the page, they have much more depth and are far more relatable, even in foreign situations. In a way, this reminds me of the way Sylvia Plath uses the characters and their attitudes to affect the reader's emotions in "The Bell Jar." The main character, Esther, is so relatable that even the extreme measures of not eating and sleeping because of her depression seem perfectly normal until the reader takes a second to processes what is going on. Going back to "The Tiger's Wife" (since I'm not sure how to underline or italicize on this, I figure quotation marks are better than nothing), Tea Obreht does a very similar thing with the characters in her novel. For example, she seems to use Zora as a form of comic relief through her sarcasm and bold personality, when a lot of times Zora is adding to the drama of the novel. In the first chapter, this really shows through the situation with Zora's lawsuit. It seems almost comical at first, but the reader has to take a step back (with some help from Natalia) to realize that this is a situation that will deeply impact Zora's life.
The narrator was in fact affected by the tiger attack, but not as much as a young girl should. I think the reason she wasn’t as affected is that she knew the power of the tiger, and the stupidity of the man. She might have also been calmer because she saw her grandfather's reactions. He was calm, and even chastised the man, instead of panicking. Natalia just follows her grandfather's ever move, and in doing so she mimes' his calm actions.
The family is so secretive about their health issues because, they like their privacy. In a world that they are living in with a constant war, and with people wanting to know your every move, privacy is important. When people’s lives are bombarded with questions, the few chances of privacy are crucial. In addition, I believe Natalia's grandfather didn’t mention his illness because he didn’t want to worry his family. He had been such an independent man, and to get pity for dying is just not for him.
The grandmother didn’t press the issue of Natalia lying to her, because she probably is disappointed, and her feelings hurt. She knows not only that her granddaughter lied to her, but her own husband probably told her to. She realizes that her husband wanted Natalia to keep his dying a secret.
I don’t understand the dog painting, he must be very important, or like a symbol for something. It's all very odd.
The parrot speaking poetry shows that Barbra and Nada are in an upper class. They have more luxuries such as books and education, let alone time to read the poetry aloud enough for the parrot to memorize.
Barba and Nada allow the diggers stay at their house because I believe they are almost scared. As I read on and on people talk about superstitions, and helping the poor or else you will be damned. I think Barba and Nada are just frightened of turning a sick family away, and the possibility of having a dead body in my yard would freak me out too.
Like many others have said if the adult that you are with and trust remains unpahsed by something that tramatic, that usually results in the younger person that looks up to them to remain calm and unaffected.
I'm not quite sure of the religion nor which war but if I had to make a guess it would be WWI.
I think people keep secrets like that to protect the people they love most. Men in the families especially like to remain strong and keep everything together, and when they can't they either chose to show weakness or they just don't tell and protect the stability of the home.
I feel as if the grandmother fears what was kept from her....how far the lies went. I think she isn't pressing harder at this moment to protect herself.
Who knows whats up with the dog drawings??? Weird but honestly I'm not sure why...
Parrots repeat what they hear once they hear it several times. So someone in the house must recite poetry.
Barbra must know that the diggers believe that a cousin of theirs is buried in their yard and that they will all die from illness if they don't reover the remains. This tells us that they must be somewhat kind to allow such people to reside on their property.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora because she doesn't want Zora to worry and doesn't want it to affect their trip.
I believe that the narrator wasn't affected by the tiger attack not only because her grandfather called the man a fool, but also because the event was something she learned from. She knew she loved them but after the attack she knew how violent the tigers could be.
Natalia's family is so secretive about their health because they don't want anyone to worry. They feel that it is easier to lie than to cause worry and fear. Her grandmother doesn't ask her more about her grandfather's health because she already knows that Natalia is lying. Her grandmother is aware that the family often lies about health issues and doesn't want to have to deal with a death as well as a dishonest loved one. Natalia continues with the secrecy in that she doesn't tell Zora of her grandfather's death. It is probably easier for her to keep it to herself rather than to have to say it out loud, regardless of their friendship.
The poetry-loving parrot tells us that Barba and Nada like poetry enough to have read it out loud for the parrot hear. They are kind to allow the diggers and Natalia and Zora stay at their house. They must feel bad for the diggers with sick children to let them stay longer than expected.
I think their family is so secretive because they don't want to worry anyone if the problem could be fixed. My family's exactly like that. Like for example, I didn't even know my grandpa was having surgery on his knee until after he was out of surgery and was recovering. I think her grandma is pressing her so hard about her Natalia's grandfather's death because Natalia and her grandfather were so close, so she knows that her grandpa would tell Natalia about it. I think she just wants to know if he died in pain, or if their was something she could've done to support or help him, like anyone would.
I don't think Natalia is disturbed by the tiger attack because she was so young and because her grandfather didn't seem to react much other than to blame the dustpan keeper for the incident.
I think the family hides so much from one another in part to protect the other and also to make things easier for themselves. If no one knows then no one has to deal with worrying or being worried over.
I think Natalia's grandmother doesn't press more because she is hurt by all the lying and secrets and maybe because she knows the lies were intended to spare her.
I don't understand what's up with all the dog paintings and portraits... He must be a symbol in the novel or a symbol to the people in the novel.
The fact that the parrot spouts off poetry tells us that someone in the house recites poetry.
I think Natalia keeps her grandfather's death from Zora because she doesn't want disrupt the purpose of their trip and because she doesn't want the sympathy from Zora either. I also think that maybe she doesn't want to go home and deal with her grandmother's questions.
Witnessing a tiger attack would be a traumatic experience. In the epilogue Natalia plays it off as only a mere incident that she observed with her grandfather. She acts this way to prove a point, the point in fact is a lesson from the Zoo worker's own stupidity. Also, we are influenced by our elders. Since Natalia's grandfather did not panic neither did she.
The reference to the 40 days refers to the religion of Eastern Orthodoxy, as a Greek Orthodox I also have beliefs towards a 40 day of the soul.
Health issues between family members all depend on the type of relationship. It also might depend on the type of sickness and how serious it is in order to alert family members. Since my family is very close any type of issue is usually discussed. Since her grandfather is the rock of the family, he might not have wanted to cause panic throughout his family and to enjoy every last moment without pity from others.
It is quite obvious that the grandmother has raised some suspicion that she is being lied to. Although her grandmother may have many questions she might feel it is best not to raise theses questions on the phone and wait till Natalia returns home.
Natalia might be in denial of her grandfathers death and does not want Zora to feel sympathy for her while they are on this mission trip. Although Natalia's reasoning may seem bizarre, because like most people they would want to return home to be there for their loved ones. Natalia in my opinion wants to stay to prove to herself that she can be as great as a doctor as her deceased grandfather.
Honestly I dont know how she is still able to love tigers. If I witnessed something like that when I was a child I'd probaly need therapy.
The forty days soul is in relation to the Eastern Orthodox Church
I think the war being referenced is the Breakup of Yugoslavia, which is actualy a series of conflicts.
Natalia doesnt tell Zora about her granfathers death, because Natalia has alterior motives for this trip.
I think Natalia isn't as affected by the tiger attack because she was so little and she kind of followed her grandfathers actions. Since her grandfather wasn't reacting, she thought there was no reason for her to react. That's just my opinion.
I personally think it is a little strange how this family seems to hide everything from everyone. It's like a don't ask, don't tell kind of situation between family members.I think this is also why her grandmother doesn't try harder to get the truth out of Natalia: because she keeps secrets too.
As to Natalia not telling Zora right away about her grandfathers death, I think it's because they are such close friends and Natalia knew if Zora found out, she would make them go back.
I found that The 40 Days of the Soul may be apart of th Eastern Orthodox Church. I think the family is being secretive because the grandfather doesnt want to have the family worry about him and maybe he just wants to live his life normal as possible for as long as he can. Maybe the grandmother is waiting for the narrator to tell her at the time that she thinks is right. THey allow the diggers to stay because they are nice people and this is shown by the way they treat their guests. Natalia doesnt tell her because she said that Zora wouldnt let her go on the mission with her and Natalia thinks getting the medicine to the people is very important.
I think that watching the tiger wasn’t traumatic because she knew that the tiger attacked because the person touched it. Not because the tiger wanted to attack, but because it was provoked. I also think that she wasn’t affected because her grandfather loved the tigers and he wasn’t afraid of them.
I think the family is so secretive because it doesn’t want to hurt each other. Natalia’s grandfather keeping the secret about his illness was to keep his wife from worrying about him. He didn’t want her to be constantly worrying about him and not enjoying life. My family doesn’t really keep secrets from each other.
The parrot spouting poetry tells us that someone in the house is reading poetry. The bird has to first hear it to repeat it so someone must be reading poetry aloud.
The reason the narrator is so unaffected by the tiger attack at such a young age is because her grandfather acted as though he was unaffected. When young children are around adults, they try to copy how they behave. The grandfather stays calm and feels it is the zookeepers own fault, so the narrator tries to feel the same.
As other people have already stated, the 40 days of the soul is a reference to Eastern Orthodox Christians. I'm not sure which war is being talked about.
The family is so secretive for a couple of reasons. One, they like their privacy, and two, the grandfather did not want to worry his family with his health issues. He would rather focus on other things that he found more important.
The grandmother doesn't press harder about the lies because at the time she talks to Natalia the is still in shock and very upset about the death of her husband. Also, I think she really doesn't want to know the truth, but feels like she should.
The fact that the parrot recites poetry shows that someone in the house is reading poetry out loud often, because parrots will repeat what they hear many times.
I think that Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house because they are kind and generous people. They also may be superstitious, so they would want to help people who needed it.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she knows that Zora will make her return home for the funeral, but Natalia does not want to do that yet. Also, Natalia knows that Zora admired her grandfather in a way, and didn't want to upset her.
I think Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death rigth away, for a couple of reasons. first, Natalia and Zora are doing something very important to them. They are going to help other people. Natalia doesn't want bad news to get in the way of that. Second, Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she wanted to save her best friend some pain for as long as possible. The narrator makes it sound like Zora was somewhat close to Natalia's grandfather, too.
The narrator is not more affected by the tiger attack because she was so young when it occurred. When people are young they play off the emotions of the people around them, and since Natalia’s grandfather was clam and blaming the man, she naturally did the same. She is still able to love tigers because she believed the tiger only was protecting itself. The family was only hiding the grandfather’s health issues to protect the grandmother. My family has done similar things in the past, especially when they felt it would protect me from unnecessary heartbreak. When people do cover up health issues, it is not because they are trying to be malicious and lie, it is because the most important thing at that moment is to shield someone from devastation. Although the grandmother is not fooled by Natalia, I believe she does not pressure her because she knows there is a reason she is being lied to, and that eventually the truth will surface. Natalia did not tell Zora about her grandfather’s death, not because she does not trust her, but because she knew Zora would have forced her to return home for the funeral.
the narrator seems to be mostly unaffected by the tiger attack because she saw that her grandfather still loves tigers, she still loves them because she looks up to him as a role model. 40 days of the should is from the Eastern Orthodox Church. It seems so far that it could be referencing the world wars. The family is so secretive because they don't want to worry each other. My family, mostly my grandpa, will keep his health related issues to himself so that we don't overreact. Natalia's grandmother doesn't press her hard for the truth because she understands the bond that her granddaughter and husband have. Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay there because they are kind and caring people. It shows that they are always looking out for other people. I think Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandpa because Natalia doesn't want to go home and she doesn't want to disappoint Zora because Zora wants to get advice from her grandpa.
Natalia was unaffected by the tiger attack because her grandfather remained calm throughout the ordeal. She looks up to her grandfather and undoubtedly wants to imitate his attitude and actions, as children generally do, so Natalia was just following suit when she didn’t react. Even if it affected her inwardly, she would not show it. Natalia is still able to love tigers because she enjoys the time she spends with her grandfather and visiting the tigers was a happy memory that the two of them shared, so she did not let the attack change her opinion of the animal.
Their family is so secretive because they do not want to worry each other. Natalia agrees to keep her grandfather’s illness a secret so that her grandmother is not worrying about him, even though in the end it ends up upsetting her more that she didn’t know about it.
Natalia’s grandmother probably doesn’t press harder to know the truth about her husband’s health before he died because at this point she can tell that Natalia knew the truth and the details don’t really matter. The potential conflict that could arise between Natalia and her grandmother if she kept pushing to know the truth would not be worth it just to know the details that are not relevant anymore.
The narrator was very young; about four. Little kids tend to look to their elders for reactions to see how they should react to things. Because her grandfather was being calm, Natalia probably thought there was no reason to be alarmed.
Eastern Orthodox Church.
Some families do not like to talk about illness. It is possible that they (the ones sick or in pain) try to be brave because allowing their family members to suffer with them will not help their condition, and they would rather see their family be happy. My family is sort of like this- we don't complain if we've got a little headache or cold- but if someone was dying of cancer, of course everyone would know.
I read somewhere that lies are sometimes more dependable than the truth. However, the grandmother clearly trusts Natalia and even if she thinks Natalia is keeping a secret from her, she may think it is for a good reason.
I'm not entirely sure what the dog symbolizes yet. Beloved family pet or something more?
The parrot repeating poetry means that someone that was once around that parrot was once interested in such things.
The diggers staying at Barba Ivan and Nada's house despite Nada's clear distaste for them says that they are very kind people and very charitable.
Natalia probably doesn't want pity. While it is great that Zora would help her through her loss, Natalia wants to try to hold onto some sense of normalcy and probably hasn't fully accepted her grandfather's death yet.
The narrator might not be phased by the tiger attack as expected from a child due to the reaction of her grandfather. If her grandfather were to have acted really traumatized I am sure the narrator would have as well. The 40 days of the soul refers to the easter orthodox church's belief that the soul lingers on earth to settle unfinished business as well as visit important events and places in ones life. My family is very open with health issues to my knowledge. I understand why some people would keep certain illnesses from their loved ones. There just comes a time when some people accept their fate and just want their loved ones to be happy well they go through that time.
The grandmother most likely realizes that the narrator is lying and has been lying and is just so emotional about it she doesn't want to know the truth and just wants it the narrator to tell her when the time is right.Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house simply because they are nice people. Natalia doesn't tell Zora of her grandfathers death because once she does Zora will force her to go home. Natalia possibly doesn't want to deal with his death or is on a special sort of mission in some way.
Natalia was not affected after the tiger attack because of how her grandfather reacted. He stayed calm and did not over react. She really looks up to her grandfather and tries to do whatever he does. It was obviously tramatic enough for Natalia never to forget for the rest of her life. The religion that is referenced is the Eastern Orthodox Religion. This religion tends to use 40 and 7 as typical symbols. My family is not seceretive at all with each other. We are very open with every aspect of out lives. I can't imagine not knowing of a family health issue. This family sounds very different from many families. They are so seceretive because they don't want to worry their family they want to keep peace and happiness. The grandmother doesn't press harder because she knows whatever she says Natalia will keep private and not tell her. Natalia and her grandfather had that close of a bond. The drawings of the dog still seems to make me ponder. It may be a foreshadowing of the future and symbloic. The fact that the bird recited poetry symbolizes that Bard and Nada tend to recite a lot of poetry and that the parrot is smart and has a good memory. Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house because they are their workers and they don't have the money or the greatest life to get their own place. This shows that they are kind people with big hearts. Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she doesn't want to have to leave and go back home and Natalia knows that Zora would make her.
One might automatically think that a young girl would be more affected by a tiger attack, but the narrator is surprisingly not. I think it has a lot to do with her grandfathers reaction. He calls the zookeeper a fool, and the narrator immediately agrees with him. A child's reaction to a situation has a lot to do with the reactions of those around them. The narrator looks up to her grandfather and sees that he is unaffected by the attack, so it puts her more at ease. She shares that love of tigers with her grandfather, and I don't think she wants to let that go.
I'm really not sure why the narrators grandmother doesn't press harder about the narrators lies. If I were the grandmother, I would want to know everything there is to know about my husband's death.
I think that the reason that Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death right away is because she knows what Zora's reaction will be. She will think that it's in Natalia's best interest to go home and be with her family, but Natalia isn't ready to go home just yet. She is very puzzled by his death and she needs to get her head on straight before taking any action.
Natalia wasn't affected more by the tiger attack because of her grandfather's reaction. She looks up to him and he remained calm, so she did aswell. By watching the attack Natalia knows that this is an animal and how it behaves when a human enters its territory unwelcomed. She still loves the animal because her grandfather does.
From what I have gathered, the religion is Eastern Orthodox Christian. I think the war that is being referred to are the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913.
Natalia's grandmother is probably embarassed that she doesn't know about her husband's illness. She wants to know what was wrong but she is ashamed and scared of the secret.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather because she knows that Zora will make them go home. Natalia doesn't want to go because she won't be able to cope with her grandfather's death. Not telling Zora is a defense mechanism for Natalia's emotions.
She isn't really affected by the attack because children follow by example; her grandfather wasn't affected by it so neither was she.
40 days of the soul is connected to a religion? Again i pay little attention to the various religions; buddhism perhaps?
They're secretive because they don't want to upset each other. Yes, my family is similar; somethings are just better left unsaid in our opinion.
Her grandmother probably feels that with time she will reveal her lie.
People tend to like dogs, so why not paint them? Barba seems to be attached to the dog somewhat.
They have a talented parrot. The couple seem to be educated, maybe one of them reads poetry.
Barba and Nada seem very hospitable. They probably figured they'd be nice.
Natalia is raised by a family that hides secrets; she probably didn't want to upset Zora. Zora also seems to think highly of Natalia's grandfather.
It seems to me that the narrator and her family are secretative and don't press on uncomfortable subjects like health issues or when her grandmother knows she's lying to her because it would cause fighting or tension between relationships. I feel like a lot of people do this without realizing it. The narrator knows that if she told her grandmother about her grandfather's health problems that her grandmother would feel awful for not realizing it on her own. Sometimes people keep secrets for the protection of the ones they care about.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she does not want to create an uncomfortable situation. She doesn't want Zora's sympathy or for it to become a big deal. Also, i think by not dwelling on her grandfather's death that she is making it easier for herself. She doesn't want to admit that he's gone when he was such a huge part of her life.
The narrator is not really affected by the tiger attack because she respects her grandfather and his opinions and he believed it was the janitor who was to blame and thus she held no ill will to this tiger or other tigers.
40 days of the soul is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church where the soul after death has 40 days to take care of unfinished business before continuing on to the after-life.
The family is most likely so secretive when it comes to health issues because the ill family member doesn't want to concern the others with their troubles, instead they try to cherish the time they have left. My family goes through a lot to spare feelings but we would never lie to each other about a medical issue or any other life-threatening problem.
Natalia's grandmother knows that she is lying to her, however she doesn't press harder because she knows that Natalia is lying for a good reason and if the time comes that she needs to reveal the truth that she will be there for her all the same.
The fact that the parrot spouts out poetry reveals that someone in the house loves poetry and reads the poetry aloud with the bird in earshot suggesting they are very educated and cultured.
Despite Natalia and Zora being BFF's Natalia hides her grandfather's death from her because Zora will think it is best if Natalia is with her family during this time of tragedy, and Natalia isn't ready to go home and see that first hand.
I think the narrator wasn't as traumatizes as a normal four year-old would be because she wanted to seem brave to her grandfather. Her grandfather doesn't seem affected by the attack, so Natalia doesn't act affected either. The reason she isn't afraid of tigers after the attack is because her grandfather blamed the incident on the dustpan keeper. Her grandfather says “My God, you're a fool, aren't you? (page 6)” to the dustpan keeper loud enough for the narrator to hear.
The family is so secretive due to the hardships of the war. Also due to the war, and her teenage years, Natalia seemed to drift away from her family. When one family member starts leaving out truth and keeping quite, other members start to do the same thing; it's contagious. I think my family does hide stuff from each other but not to the extent of lying about serious health concerns.
Her grandmother doesn't press harder because she knows that Natalia and her grandfather used to have such a good relationship. She knows she can trust Natalia and her grandfather's actions, and pressing harder would just upset Natalia.
The dog must be very important. He must have done something very honorable or special, because everyone in town knows about him. Even the orphans in the later chapters draw pictures of him.
Since the parrot recites poetry, that means someone in the house must read poetry aloud often. Maybe Barba or Nada read it to the sick children.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death because she doesn't want Zora to send her home. Natalia's main priority is to help the orphans. Also, Natalia might not tell Zora because Natalia doesn't want to cope with the fact that her grandfather died. She doesn't want to have to talk it out with anybody.
When reading the epilogue, I found it very surprising that the narrator, a four-year-old little girl, remained seemingly unaffected after witnessing a tiger attack. I know that children often try to imitate the actions of their elders, but when it comes to witnessing something as horrifying as a tiger attack, I don’t quite believe Natalia, age four, remained so calm without even an ounce of fear expressed or instilled in her mind. It seems to me that the actions of the dustpan keeper wouldn’t have been a concept a four-year-old would correctly comprehend. I would more likely expect the child to fear the beast of a tiger, and feel sympathetic toward the dustpan keeper-who would’ve seemed to innocently have the curiosity to pet the tiger. Anyway, sticking to the story line, the only way Natalia would’ve been able to keep her love for tigers instead of fear, would be to understand the concept that the dust pan keeper was, in fact, a fool, and the tiger felt the dust pan keeper’s action as a threat and went into protection mode.
Natalia’s family is secretive and resorts to lies pertaining to health issues, because they do not want their family to worry about them. They either know they will eventually be fine (For example, when Natalia’s mother broke her leg) or even if they may not be alright, they want their family to remain with pleasant thoughts. If Natalia’s grandmother was informed about her grandfather’s illness she would’ve looked at him in a different light (Like a man who’s dying), and that’s the last way he wanted his family to look at him. I think all families are like this to an extent, and I think, stereotypically, that men seem to be more common in hiding or denying health issues.
I believe Natalia’s grandmother finds relief in knowing her husband wasn’t alone in the knowledge of his death approaching; even though she wishes she would’ve been informed and been a little more “prepared” to deal with the situation. Her grandmother doesn’t press harder on Natalia to release the knowledge she already knows is the truth.
The drawings and portraits of the dog, Bis, are an unrevealed center of pride for the town. Fra Antun’s parents are the owners of Bis, and his mother continually paints portraits of the dog in various settings. The dog becomes more of a curiosity for us as readers , when the children at the orphanage are also drawing him. I’m not certain if this dog or the breed in general, has a sort of heroic symbolism for the town or if it’s simply the paintings the orphan’s look up to when they visit the “museum” part of the orphanage. I sense that the dog has a secret importance when one little boy mentions that the dog belongs to Arlo, who at this particular time, we have no clue who it is, and if they are of any importance in the book.
I have no idea why the narrator isn’t affected by the tiger attack. I would be traumatized if I had to watch that. I think she doesn’t fear them because her grandfather doesn’t fear the tigers. He continues to love them and so does she.
Forty days of the soul refers to the Easter Orthodox Church.
I think the reason the family is so secretive is because they want to protect each other and not make their other family members worry.
I think the grandmother doesn’t press harder for more information because she doesn’t want to know at the moment. The grandmother might think the actual information is too upsetting to handle.
Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house out of charity. This tells us that Barba and Nada are good people and that they help other people who need it.
I understand why the narrator still loves tigers. Her grandfather loves them and the love has transferred itself over to her. Also, she doesn't blame the tigers for what happened, she blames the janitor. Both her and her grandfather made it clear that they thought he was a fool and didn't feel at all that sorry for the guy. What is puzzling, however, is why she wasn't the least bit rattled in the moment, but even then I think I have an explanation. I believe she drew the calm from her grandfather. He wasn't being affected, so she wouldn't let herself be affected either.
I can totally understand this family keeping secrets from one another. They didn't want to disturb the others' lives or plans, and they didn't want to tell them because it would be too devastating at the time rather than later. Families tend to keep more secrets about health than anything else. It's not like they were keeping secrets about financial troubles (something that one can really share with one's family). Health, however, is too different. You're pretty much all on your own and there's always a limit to how much your family can help. Also, the repercussions are much more drastic. Most serious damage to your health is irreversible......Yeah...my family's like that too.
I don't think Bako pushed it because she was so sure the narrator was lying that it didn't really matter if she confessed to anything or not. Plus, she must have realized that the narrator was lying for a good reason. It just wasn't worth it. I'm sure she was a little preoccupied mourning her husband.
I understand that Zora is Natalia's best friend and best friends tell each other pretty much everything but not always around the time it happens. I don't think Natalia is quite ready to share her feelings with anyone yet. She hasn't processed it fully, isn't ready to mourn, and so she's obviously not ready to have someone trying to comfort her yet. She also mentions that she feels an obligation to finish the job at the orphanage and telling Zora would change those plans.
I believe that the reason for the narrator's love of the tigers even after the attack was that hergrandfather still showed affection toward them so she saw no reason to lose interest.
The forty days of the soul is a part of the Estern Orthodox Church's religon.
I suppose it is understandable why this family would keep secrets about health issues. In his old age it probably isnt worth it to have his wife worry about his sickness. There so could be the issue of pride with the grandfather. He could be hiding his illness because he doesn't want to lose respect or his dominant male role.
Bako might be afraid to know what the truth is. She has no idea what is going on so inher eyes, the secret could be anything.
Natalia maybe doesnt want to tell Zora about her grandfather because she doesnt want her to worry too much and put there plans on hold.
I think that she still loves tigers because her grandpa loves tigers. 40 days of the soul is referencing the Eastern Orthodox Church. I have no idea what war is being referenced.I think the family is secretive because they dont want to upset others (family),by informing them of their health issues. I dont think my family is secretive about their health. Maybe the grandmother doesnt press harder because the is uncomfortable talking about it. I dont really know why there are so many potraits of a dog, maybe they love dogs. By allowing diggers to stay at their house, the readers can infer that Nada and Barba are good people. They care for others. Natalia might not tell zora about her grandfathers death yet because just like the rest of Natalia's family, natalia is secretive.
The narrator isn’t affected by the tiger attack I think just like other people that her grandfather was unaffected. The attack was also caused by the zoo keeper being stupid and not thinking about what he was doing before he did it and I think Natalia knows that and that is why she still loves tigers even after the traumatic attack. In the Eastern Orthodox church the soul will linger around after a person dies for 40 days.
I do not necessarily think the family is secretive I think that Natalia and her grandfather hid her grandfathers illness to spare the family worry and hurt and to let them live normally. I think the grandmother doesn’t press Natalia hard about her knowing about the illness because she knows they kept it to spare her feelings.
I think the drawings of the dog show that in some way the dog is going to be important in the story because even the orphans were drawing pictures of the dog and there were so many pictures of him.
Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house because I think they feel bad for them because of all the sick children and it shows that they are good people. I think Natalia keeps her grandfathers death a secret from Zora because she wants to help the sick children and if she tells Zora about her grandfather Zora will make her go home.
I don't think the family is so much secretive as they are more don't ask don't tell. I think they all like to keep things to themselves. I think that's why Natalia and her grandfather do not tell her grandmother about her grandfathers illness.
I think the drawing of the dog is foreshadowing of the dogs importance. Or maybe its a symbol for something? Who knows.
Going to the zoo that many times gave Natalia time to observe the animals and their behaviors. She probably knew, even at that age, that it isn't such a smart idea to pet a tiger. She also wanted to appear more like her grandfather, which to me, is the equivalent of callous.
Because of how Natalia's grandpa is, and how much time they spent together when she was a child, she learned how to keep her problems to herself. That man doesn't strike me as someone who'd complain about anything. He probably rubbed off a bit on the others as well. That, and not wanting anyone to worry about their well-being, is why the family tends to keep things from one another. My family isn't that extreme, considering we'd all know if a relative had something as awful as cancer, but we don't announce the smaller issues. That might just be because my grandma loves to gossip, though.
I think that the reason the narrator is not more affected by the tiger attack is because her grandfather stayed pretty calm, and usually with young kids if something happens and you make a big fuss about it,that's when they will start to freak out.
I think the reason the family is so secretive is because they want to be able to keep the others in the family calm. Some people in my family are stubborn and they may not want others finding out that there is something wrong with them because they know they would just worry.
I think that the tiger attack did not affect the narrator because her grandfather was not affected by the attack. She looks up to him and sees him as a role model. If her grandfather did not panic then why should she? I think that the family is secretive because when it comes to a situation where someone is getting very sick, then it is probably best not to tell them and worry them. They will treat that sick person differently. I think her grandfather wanted to live normally until he passed. He and his granddaughter were close so i think that is the only reason why he told her. They had a special bond
Just today my friend told me that his mom lied to him about a health issue. He was leaving to be a camp counselor and the day after he left, his mother had an episode of some disease that is incredibly hard to remember. I just know that she didn't tell my friend about this because, being the worry wart that he is, he would have gone home, but she wanted him to be happy.
This is the same reason the family is so secretive about their health issues. Instead of alarming the rest of the family, they are keeping everyone as calm as possible.
The portraits of dogs may be a coincidence (but in literature, everything is done for a purpose). I'm sure that the reason for these portraits will be explained later as a symbol for something incredible, but for now, I can only wonder.
Natalia isn't affected by the tiger attack because her grandfather isn't fazed by the attack. By her grandfather not being fazed, Natalia can continue to enjoy the tigers without fear. This shows the amount of admiration she has for her grandfather, and how much she looks up to him.
I think the family is so secretive because they want to spare each others feelings. It also seems like the family isn't a very emotional, touchy type of family that has very deep talks. This is probably why Natalia grandmother doesn't press the issue any farther when Natalia can't swear that she didn't know about her grandfather's illness.
Barbara and Nada allow the diggers to stay because they feel bad for them. I think this is shown by how they try to offer the child a cookie. I think that Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death is because she hasn't exactly come to terms with it yet.
Most of my family is open, but my paternal grandfather kept his serious heart condition a secret from everyone, even his wife. Like Natalia's grandmother, we didn't find out about it until after he died. With him, it was a point of pride; he'd been in the marine and was a police officer. He was uncomfortable admitting he needed a doctor even for serious problems.
Natalia's grandfather probably kept it secret as to spare his family the heartache. Unfortunately, that most likely made it more difficult for his family to accept. I think that's why Natalia's grandmother didn't press her for information. She didn't want to hear about her husband's death when she hadn't even processed it herself.
I think that's also why Natalia didn't tell Zora. It hadn't sunk in yet, and she didn't think it was appropriate to interrupt the delivery of important medicine to talk about something that didn't seem quite real.
I think because her grandfather was not panicing, it made her stay calm and not freak out mking it less traumatic. Also it was the keepers fault if she never sticks her han inside a cage their is no reason to fear the tigers.
I think in the grandpas case he didnt want to worry his wife and make her upset about it, I think he wanted to enjoy his last moments with her and it not be changed by her knowing. My dad is always keeping secrets like that from me but I usually find out without him knowing. I think he does it because he thinks he is protecting me.
I think the grandmother knows that he did it all for a reason deep down and she wants to respect that maybe.
I think they allow them to stay at their house because they really wouldnt have anywhere to stay. They are very geniorus people and dont mind company.
I think Natalia keeps it from Zora because she does not want it to take away from their work there and Zora is relying on talking to Natalias grandfather so I dont think she has it in her to ruin that for her yet.
I think that Natalia still has a love for tigers because her grandfather still did after the attack, but also because the zookeeper was being careless with that tiger and she knows how dangerous they are.
This family is secretive because they seem like they would worry a lot, and Natalia and her grandfather know that. Those two keeping secrets together kind of created a bond and they know not to freak out and how to handle it in a calm manner. The dominance also probably takes a part in that as well. My family is very open about everything for the most part so I don't really relate, but apparently my family is pretty rare in that.
The grandmother doesn't want to push too hard on getting the truth because I think she may be in denial. She knows that Natalia and her grandfather knew about his illness, but I think it would probably break her heart if she got confirmation about it.
I believe that the narrator wasn’t affected by the tiger attack because of how calm her grandfather was. The narrator was still able to love tigers and not fear them because her grandfather called the janitor a fool, blaming the janitor for the attack. This shows the narrator that unless she gets too close to the tigers, she has nothing to worry about.
I believe that the family is secretive either because they don’t want to worry each other, or because they don’t have good relationships with each other. My family has its secrets, however my family and I are not secretive when it comes to health issues.
I believe that the grandmother does not press Natalia into telling the truth about her grandfather because they don’t have the best relationship with each other. Also, the grandmother probably realizes that Natalia had a good relationship with her grandfather and would lie to protect him.
I think she was not more affected about the incident because she saw no reaction from her grandfather and was in turn not alarmed. I would not be able to ever look at tigers the same after that. Barba and Nada are either genuine nice people or they have other reasons for allowing the diggers residence.
I believe that Natalia wasn't affected by the tiger attack since her grandfather kept his compossure during it. Natalia still loves tigers after the attack because it was something special between her grandfather and her.
The family is so secretive about health issues because they don't want to worry their family. My family is very close and tend not to keep anything from the others health wise. My grandparents are the ones who try to keep major health issues a secret but others in my family love to share theirs.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfather's death since Natalia is just processing it herself. Natalia also wanted to avoid having Zora trying to send her back home.
The narrator isn’t more affected more by the tiger attack because she has respect for tigers and knew the janitor was crossing the line messing with a unpredictable animal. 40 days of the soul is talking about Eastern Orthodox Church. The grandfather does not want his wife to worry about him and make a mountain out of a molehill. My family is not like this, if someone is sick we avoid each other only to make sure no one else gets sick. The grandmother does not press harder because she does not want to make the situation worse than it already is. The portraits were never explained. But the fact that they are all of the same dog serves a purpose. But what? The family that Natalia is staying with reads poetry. Barba and Nada allowing the diggers to stay at their house tells us that they are hospitable people. Natalia doesn’t tell Zora about her grandfather’s death because she does not want to go home; she wants to get her job done.
She was not as traumatized as she should have been by this experience because she has her grandfather there. Her grandpa was a huge idol in her life, and when a child has an idol they will follow that persons actions. In this case, she doesn't panic about the attack because her grandpa doesn't panic. This same concept goes with why she still liked tigers after the incident. This is because her grandpa still likes them and then so does she.
The religion that is discussed in the first chapter is a type of Christian Orthodox. Due to the fact that they are somewhere on the Balkan Peninsula, this would mean it would probably be Eastern Orthodox. The war that is being referanced is most likely the second Balkan War where most of the peninsula was tore and broken up. This can be seen in the book with how the narrator describes the border and how it was maintained before and after the war.
Many familys don't like to burden their loved ones with the problems that may cause the others distress. This could very easily be the reason why this family keeps health problems to themselves. Another explanation could be that the family doesn't have tons of money, and for example, the grandfather might not want his wife or daughter to know because they would want to spend the money on finding a cure. This spending of money could lead to the family going broke. So this could be another viable explanation.
The grandmother can tell that the narrator is lieing because the narrator doesn't seem suprised by her grandfathers death. This makes the granmother get suspicious about what the narrator is hiding. Even though you can tell that the grandmother wants to know, she doesn't press the narrator any farther then a question or two. This would be because the grandmother realizes that what is done is done and that nothing can change her husband's death. She also probably sees that becoming mad at her husband and granddaughter for lieing would darken her husbands memory with all of her religious ceremonies.
I think the reason she isn't affected by the tiger attack because of her grandfather wasn't affected. Her respect for both her grandfather and tigers shows through a not so silly tiger attack. I feel that her grandfather doesn't want to ruin her love for tigers so he stays strong and calm for her sake.
When you truly love someone, the last thing you want is for them to worry. Which is why I feel the family is so secretive. Lets face it, we have all tried many times to not be sick so we can still participate in everyday life without seeing the worry on our mothers faces.
I think that the narrator is not phased by the brutal tiger attack because her grandfather is so at ease. I'm sure some part of her wanted to be scared, but she looks up to her grandfather, who seems very brave. I also believe that because he was so strong in these tragic incidences, the grandfather made the narrator the strong woman that she turns out to be. As for the reason behind why Natalia didn't tell Zora about her Grandfather's death, I think she did not want to admit it out loud because she was still in some sort of denial and shock.
The narrator might not be as affected by the tiger attack because of how calm her grandfather was, and how he was saying that the man was a fool. She was influenced more towards the direction that it wasn't the tigers fault, the man was just a fool.
The religion being discussed is a type of Christian Orthodox religion.
The family is probably so secretive about the health issues because they don't want people to worry. When one becomes deathly ill, a lot of the times they get treated more different than they normally would. Sometimes it's hard for the person with the illness to accept the fact that they might go at anytime. They just want to go on with daily life without trying to worry about it much. If they loved ones knew they would try and do everything to make sure the ill one gets proper attention and care that they "deserve". My family is about 50/50 on being like that.
Her grandmother probably doesn't want to push the narrator into telling what she actually knows because she doesn't want to believe it. She knows, but she doesn't want to know. Almost like she's in the state of denial that anything like this would happen.
Natalia doesn't tell Zora about her grandfathers death because she doesn't want Zora to worry. It talks about how Zora would send Natalia home if she knew. She doesn't want the burden of Zora caring for the orphanage alone.
I think that she neglects Zora about her grandfather dying to avoid the distraction. She said that Zora would have made her go home and been worried so the kids may not have gotten their shots. The portraits of the dogs was wierd. It shows that they aren't cat people and they have a wierd dog fetish thing. Since she respects her grandfather so much and looks up to him the tiger attack didn't affect her bc it didn't affect we grandpa. She wanted to be rave like him
After so many years, the tiger attack probably became even less traumatic. I also believe that the way the narrator follows her grandfather's example helped keep her calm. This also contributes to her loving the tiger later on.
The grandfather does not want everyone to worry about him, especially when nothing can be done to save him. He did it out of kindness, not for the sake of secrecy. The grandmother shows the same kindness when she does not press the narrator harder after learning about the deception.
I believe the parrot is a tool for some sort of foreshadowing.
The narrator doesnt care about the tiger attack because thats just life and he was being stupid and got bitten by an angry tiger, she isnt scared of them she just has a deep respect of them. My family is not too secretive about issues of health, both my grandparents health has been deteriorating and this have been open knowledge throughout my family. The lady has portraits of her dog because she loves her puppy very very much, the parrot likes to recite poetry because it is an educated parrot. Barba and Nada are both very nice for letting the diggers stay at their home .
I feel like she's not so affected by the Tiger attack because it's a tiger.. that's attacking something. It's like, what they do and I feel like she probably realizes that. Also, after so many years, why wouldn't she still love the Tiger? Parents have children that grow up to be all sorts of terrible things, but a lot of the times they still love them, you know?
40 days of the soul is Buddhism, when the Buddha was said to have reached complete freedom and ultimate state of peace after meditating and fasting for 40 days and nights, not sure about the war though.
As children grow up they are molded by their surroundings and the adults who raise them. Natalia is unaffected by the tiger attack because she looks up to her grandfather, who also was not affected. This shows human nature and the mind of young children. They mimic the actions of the ones they look up to the most. Her grandfather blamed human error the natural habits of a tiger. Therefore he was not scared or angry, and neither was Natalia.
Though I think the grandmother is mad about the secret between Natalia and her Grandfather, she lets it be because she understands the bond between the two. Whatever the news is, she understands it's not for her to know. I think this leaves her contempt.
I think Barba and Nada are very kind people. They care for others and extend their love. This is shown when they let the diggers stay at their house.
I don't think the narrator was affected by the tiger attack at all because if her grandpa wasn't then why would she.
Also, I think the famiy is being secretive about the Heath issues because they don't want I worry their family if they don't have to. I don't have anything like this going on in my family but if I did I know we would do the same thing.
She isn't affected by the tiger attack because it didn’t affect her grandfather. She trusts her grandpa a lot and keeps loving tigers because he does. The family is secretive because they don’t want to hurt others feelings. The grandmother doesn't pursue the lies because she doesn't want to cause more problems for the family. The forty days of the soul is Christian and a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is a major religion in the Balkans during Balkan war.
The narrator is not affected because, like many people have said, her grandfather remained calm. Plus, she has watched this tiger her whole life, she knows his nature and that it did not attack “just because”, but it was provoked. She still is fond of the tiger because she has witnessed its power, and is entranced. She knows the boundaries and is willing to keep them and admire the tiger’s graceful power.
Her grandmother does not press harder to know the truth because she realizes that it would not make things better. She would then have the memory of her husband as someone who kept a secret from his own wife and that he didn’t love her enough to tell her what was wrong with him. She would rather ignore that truth and remember him in a way that was favorable; he was just on his way to meet his granddaughter and got sick. I know if someone that close to me died I would rather not know of secrets he or she kept from me at the end.
The drawings of dogs represent how animals can bring light to a dark situation. All of these orphans are obviously in a bad situation, and animals, especially dogs, are known for bringing happiness. So these children painting pictures of the dog represents the importance of animals and how it brings a sense of normalcy.
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