Disturbing images from Zora and the narrator's experiences in the hospital. How is it possible to deal with that level of destruction to the human body?
When telling of how crippled animals are treated in the United States, the narrator says, "They're self-righting." What does she mean by this statement?
On p. 283, the narrator pontificates about the differing natures of war. What might this reflect about the author's views of war?
Review the three sections where the narrator's grandfather starts his stories about the deathless man. Do the descriptions of the grandfather's actions as he begins each part of the story reveal anything?
On the bottom of p. 284, the grandfather tells about the religious differences between he and his wife. What point is he making here?
It just occurred to me to ask this, though I have wondered it throughout the story: why does the deathless man always ask for water?
What is narghile? tumbak?
Was the woman whom the deathless man was with the same woman who abandoned Luka on his wedding day?
Why do you think the deathless man's favorite story from The Jungle Book is Rikki Tikki Tavi's story?
The deathless man says the grandfather will die with suddenness, but we know that he suffers for quite some time before his death. How does this make sense?
Is there any significance in the death of the zoo tiger?
What is the deathless man suggesting when he tells the narrator's grandfather to break the cup?
38 comments:
I think there is a lot of significance in the death of the zoo tiger. Not only do tigers symbolize chaos and destruction, but the tiger in the book symbolizes it as well. The significance in the death of tiger in my opinion is that in the beginning of the novel the tiger attacked a zoo employee and the villagers found the tiger a threat to their community. In Galina, the tiger offered The Tiger's Wife an escape from everyday life conditions that had to be dealt with. The death of the tiger showed Natalia's grandfather that the world he lived in may be worth exploring rather than just staying in his small community. Also,the world may not be as bad as it seemed to him or others. So, in reality something that seems a threat, is fearful, or even may be brutal to a human's life can also have another side to it, which could be a very good one. In my life I can relate this to being scared of something that seems terrifying, but in the end you can't just see the bad in it. In life sometimes you just have to look at the good, even when it may be hard.
If there ever became a horrible bombing of Bedford, I think most of us would try to stick it out. Since that never happens to us or in our area, we wont know exactly how to act, since we have never prepared. I hope nobody would be going to get coffee, because it seems there is a priority in a different area than getting some coffee. Also, as far as protests, none would exist until after the bombing is over. If you decide to protest in the middle of a raid, all you are doing is drawing attention to yourself, and putting others in danger. In all, I am glad we don't have to worry about that right now, we are very fortunate.
If I was watching the bombing of Bedford on TV I would be scared out of my mind. I would most likely stay in my basement watching the bombing happen until it stopped. Overall we would all most likely try to stick the bombing out and try to restore life the way it was once before. Although the narrator's grandfather suffered a long time before he finally passed I think his death itself was very sudden and fast. I think the deathless man meant that although he suffered for a very long time before his death, his death was very sudden and occurred quickly.
I don't know what I would do if Bedford was bombed. It would be devastating. I moved to Bedford almost 4 years ago now and whenever our community has experienced something devastating we stick it out and we stick together. We're family. "Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." we'd make it through and help each other restore what we had lost. We are all very fortunate to live in an area that hasn't been truck by tragedy in that way and although we have experienced tragedy in other ways, we have each other.
I always wondered why the deathless man always asks for water too. I thought that maybe he only likes water because coffee is basically ruined for him, ever since his love died and he has to live forever. I can only remember other people drinking coffee from his magic cup and never him drinking any coffee from it. Then it occurred to me that water might help him feel better when he's been in a casket for so long or in a dark room, or whatever it may be. "Water" is also the deathless mans calling in a way. It definitely helps the grandfather know when he is around so maybe it helps other people recognize him too. Overall I couldn't exactly figure out what the asking for water really meant but those might be some of the things that lead to him calling for water.
If there was a bombing in Bedford I honestly feel the vast majority of the population wouldn't follow what would be the right course of action. I think by the fact that the people of Bedford have little to no experience dealing with any form of disaster so we'd be ill prepared and most of our residents are no terribly bright having known them my whole life. If I had to guess as to why the deathless man always asks for water is because he always obtains from drinking until he really can't take it anymore and yet he has the same relaxed attitude. I think the deathless man's favorite story is Rikki Tikki Tavi because that story is a classic story of good vs bad. I also feel he enjoys it because of how an evil future was prevented when the mongoose destroys the snake eggs in the book.
The deathless man does say the grandfather will die with suddenness. What he means by that is that his death is very sudden to his family because they did not know about his illness. Only the grandfather and Natalia know he suffers for a long time. His wife nor daughter that his time he has left to live is dwindling down. That is why the deathless man says his death will be very sudden. It won't be sudden to the grandfather that his death is sudden, it will be to his family and friends that his death is sudden. Once again, the deathless man is correct in his predictions.
The death of Natalia’s grandfather will be sudden to his family members. The grandfather already knew of his approaching death but none of his family (besides Natalia) is even aware that he is ill. The deathless man suggested that Natalia’s grandfather does as he believes and smash the cup, thus representing that he hasn't been touched by death. Natalia’s grandfather had asked the deathless man whether or not he will be dying soon even though he knows that he [Natalia’s grandfather] is very ill. The end of the chapter doesn't reveal whether or not Natalia's grandfather smashed the cup but I have an inkling that he didn't.
It is terrible to think about if there were to ever be a bombing in Bedford it's such a traumatic event that I'm not sure that anyone would know how to react. I do think we would stick it out but at the same time I do feel like if the news came ahead of time, many people would try to get out of the area before it happens. Others would try to make sure everyone is safe and nothing bad will happen to anyone; those would be the people to all stick it out together. I am sure there would be some people that would deny help from others and do everything their own way and yeah, those people would just stick it out by themselves. It is such an interesting thing to think about because Bedford is always unpredictable so its hard for me to exactly voice what I think would happen. But who knows, the things I thought might happen could be the complete opposite but I do know, we would make it through the tough times and come back out with stories to tell and advice to give.
If I were to turn on the TV one day to see Bedford being bombed, there is no way I could be as calm as the characters in the book. I would most likely be the first one out of town. The people in the book also had time to prepare for what was coming, so by the time it actually happened, it probably felt surreal.
I also thought about the possibility of Luka's first wife-to-be being the woman that the deathless man fell for. The way the deathless man described her made me wonder about whether it was the same woman.
I feel like if Bedford had experienced that, most of us wouldn't know exactly how to act since we've never been through it before. I think most of us would plan to stick it out until the severity of it finally sunk in. Some of us would probably stay to help, and some of us would probably be gone as soon as they could. I don't think the first thing we would do would be to protest, though. Our first priority would be to help and save the people at home. I would hope we could all come together to do everything we could to do so. The characters in the book were surprisingly calm and collected, and I think Bedford would be the complete opposite.
Honestly, if Bedford was in the middle of a bombing, I wouldn’t be watching the bombing in my Bedford home; I would be too busy sobbing in the corner, not knowing what to do. I’m not sure what anyone in this town would do if something as terrifying as a bomb raid happened. I feel like a majority of Bedford residents would be freaking out because a bombing isn’t a common occurrence. On the other hand, I do believe the people of Bedford would mimic the citizens of the City. There would be the mob of people rushing to evacuate from the area in terror, but there would also be the others who would stick it out until the end. Yet, every single one would be shocked that such a thing would happen to little old Bedford.
When the deathless man says that the grandfather will die with suddenness, it makes me wonder if he really died from sickness or if something else took his life first. Otherwise, he could be making the point that death is always sudden to everyone who experiences it. No matter how much of a warning you have, it is hard to be prepared for death.
When the deathless man tells the grandfather to break the cup, I think he could be saying that the grandfather gets to choose to live this time if he leaves Sarobor. He invites the grandfather to break the cup because he knew he was already planning on leaving before anything happened.
I can not even begin to imagine a bombing in Bedford and the devastation it would bring. I would watch the TV screen and just hope that everyone in our community was in a safe place. The fight or flight instinct would take over all of us. Some families might leave in fear while others stick it out to fight. Our Bedford family has proved that hard times bring us closer together. If an event such as a bombing ever occurred, people would join together and help whoever needed it. After the bombings end, the TV screen would show a different picture. It would show the whole community uniting as a whole and becoming one.
To watch the bombing of Bedford on T.V. would be very scary in my opinion. I don't know if we would protest, I wouldn't at least. What would protesting even do if the damage is already done? Who would we protest? The bombers? They could care less what we do after the fact because they already would have bombed us which was their only goal. I think people would be very taken back by it and I think people would either react in a very calm way or in a very chaotic way. I can't even imagine that situation enough to put myself in it to know how I would respond, but all the lives that would be lost and the massive destruction I know I would be in shock.
The three beginnings of the deathless man stories go as follows, Natalia's grandfather is sent out while in the war to a village with an unknown illness, and that's when a man of the village says there was a dead man who was drowned that came back to life in his funeral, enter the deathless man. The second time deathless man is mentioned was on an island where they send to the sick to be healed and Natalia's grandfather wanted to go check it out, accidentally running into the deathless man. And the third and final time was when Natalia's grandfather was visiting his wife's hometown of Sarobor. He sat down at the restaurant where he had his honeymoon meal and he ended up on the balcony with no one other than the deathless man. The first two times they had met was about medical urgency but the last time was for remembrance of a great city before it would be bombarded the next day.
If the Bedford community was being bombed, I honestly have no clue how I would react in that situation. I do know that I couldn't sit still like the characters in the book did. I would probably try to get out of town with all of my family, and go somewhere safe. I think everybody would have a different way of reacting and a different plan of action. If the community is every threatened, we should set up a plan of action so if a horrible situation ever becomes reality we are prepared and one step ahead.
A narghile is a Middle Eastern tobacco pipe that uses water. It originated in the region of Persia or in present day Turkey. A narghile is also know as a hookah. A tumbak is a course Persian tobacco.
I see some significance in the death of the zoo tiger. For instance the zoo tiger becomes a symbol for the image of killing your own spices and also a symbol for the war.
Honestly, I think it is extremely hard to imagine something like a bombing happening so close to home, or in Bedford. Not that any place is prepared for it, but nothing like that has happened around here so I think we would act differently than citizens of a country in say the Middle East. During something that devastating, I don't think I would be able to stay here, let alone watch it on TV. I would try to leave, and as fast as possible. I think the main thing I can compare this to in my mind is the attack on the world trade center. After visiting the 9/11 musuem a couple weeks ago and learning about the plan and actions leading up to the attack, I can agree with Mercedes. Who would we be protesting against? Obviously, they are don't care if they have already done it. For peace? It amazes me how much anger one person can have in their life. Especially in that case, when the terrorists think they are doing it for religous acceptance and their actions make them someone who is looked up to in their culture.
When the deathless man told the story of the girl who he fell for, I didn't connect the dots that it could be the same woman that Luka was going to marry. That it was Amana, but the more I think about it, I believe it was the same woman. Amana was really sick to where she couldn't move without pain, and the herbalist had called for a great physician to see her. And the deathless man was known as a great physician once. I believe Amana was the woman he had fallen for, the woman who he watched his uncle take from him. The woman who he helped break the cup.
The woman who the deathless man fell in love with was also the same woman, Amana, that bailed on Luka and the plans of marriage. I connected those dots as soon as she fell ill, even before the mention of the great physician known to us as "the deathless man." How cruel, the unfolding of that story was. Luka, so full of promise, betrayed by his bride-to-be. I did find it rather interesting how Amana went back on her word to forever remain a virgin, since she had so adamantly proclaimed that was her path. That's love, I suppose.
When the deathless man says that Grandfather will die in suddenness, I believe he is referring to the family-related element that comes along with dying. While Natalia and Grandfather were both aware of the battle, the rest of the family did not. Word of his death came as a shock- something that was unexpected and sudden.
What it would be like to watch my own Bedford community get bombed on TV as I sit in my basement of my house would be so devastating. Theses types of bombings do not occur much here so if one did it would be a huge deal. I think right about about 9/11 and what people did, I am pretty sure that is what would happen; chaos. I would run away and try to take as much with me because anything can get rebuilt but memories can not. I am sure everyone would be just in shock and not know really what to do, because it never happens and so if it did it will not be pretty and organized like if a tornado touched down, everyone would know what to do. I guess people in countries in the Middle east would know what to do more and would be more prepared than Bedford people.
I agree with Mackenzie Ks thoughts. If there was a warning, then most people would flee but some would stay, mainly those that are stubborn. If there isn’t a warning then I’d imagine that everyone would be freaking out because no one would know what to do. Personally, I’d be way to scared to leave my house, even for coffee. If I died from bombings, then I want to be in my home with my pets, and I guess my family too. I don’t think the all of the town would be able to come together to help one another. There are some people that are too stubborn to see that they need help and probably end up dead, or maybe they’ll survive and everyone else will die.
If there was ever to be such a devastating event as a bombing in Bedford, I don’t really know what we would do. Seeing as there hasn’t been something like that to ever really happen here, I think people would have no idea how to react. I imagine I would be fearfully waiting it out until the end. I don’t know how anyone could carry on as if everything was normal in a situation like this. I’m reminded of earlier in the novel in chapter 2 when we got a glimpse into the life of people living during a wartime. The nonchalance of these people is truly fascinating to me.
If Bedford were bombed, I think the general population would panic and/or flea the community. I personally am stubborn so I would hunker down and try to make it through. I agree with Josh in that priorities would need to be set on what needs to be done/gotten. Protesting in the middle of a raid just seems dumb. It's like you're asking for trouble. Protests work best when people are calm, cool, and collect so everyone makes the correct decisions in the planning of and executing of a protest/counter protest.
I think that if there were ever a bombing in Bedford, people would just wait it out. That kind of stuff doesn't really happen in our area, and since we are not very experienced in that subject, it is difficult to tell what the community would do. I would think that we would just wait it out. Watch the destruction and devastation taking place all around us, wait for the end and then rebuild and revive. It would help us to come together, but life would never be the same for anyone in the area ever again.
I think the book's description of response to a catastrophic event such as a bombing is typical of human nature. So if a bomb were to strike Bedford I think people would react similarly. It seems that it is human nature to protest in some respect. Whether it be the late night coffee shop or Natalia's grandfather's routine, people find a way to protest. There also seems to be an underlying theme of protesting death throughout the novel. Is that the comfort the deathless man's cup gives, the permission to stop protesting and find peace? I think Natalia's grandfather found this peace and the death of the zoo tiger adds to this theme. The tiger's life and Natalia's grandfather's life both came to an end, as intertwined as their lives were in the novel.
I can't imagine a world where Bedford gets bombed, but if you watch Rick and Morty, you may believe there is a possible dimension where it does happen. In that case, I would hope people would unite together and our community would pool resources to assure survival however possible. Bedford has a strong sense of community, but I think there would perhaps be a divide between people: some would want to unite and others would want to only focus on their own well-being. I could see organized protests happening, but I don't believe they would become violent in any sense. Personally, I would be frustrated with protesting because I feel like holding signs and shouting isn't too effective at making a world focused on war focus on our town. I think when people see terrible events on TV such as Syrian bombings, terror attacks, and Neonazis marching through the streets, they disassociate it from themselves because it isn't happening right where they are. Seeing something on TV then seeing it happen outside my window would be truly terrifying.
If Bedford got bombed, I would probably just spend my last days quietly with my family. I feel like Bedford, knowing our society, would go out without much protest either. They'd accept it without much of resistance because they couldn't control or change it.
Watching my home be bombed on tv would be so hard to comprehend that it would seem like just a bad dream. It is hard to try to imagine what I would do in that situation but I think it would be hard to abandon my home. It always seems like the unthinkable could never happen to myself, so I would probably try to stick it out. I think it would be easier to deal with a human body that had been destroyed to that point than a body that is still intact. The less it resembles a living person, the less my imagination would wonder about the persons life and the things that were taken away from them. I think that the deathless man's woman was the one who left Luka, and to me that seems like there must be some sort of significance.
The Deathless Man says Natalia's grandfather will die with suddenness. We know that later in life Natalia's grandfather is diagnosed with cancer. One of the first things that come to mind with cancer is suffering. Many of the people at the Church of the Virgin Waters were suffering from some kind of terminal illness. The deathless man said they had a prolonged death at the time. The suddenness of Natalia's grandfather's death comes from him not accepting death. Even when diagnosed with a terminal disease, he doesn't tell his family excluding Natalia. When news of his death reaches home, it is sudden for them. Natalia's grandfather was suffering in silence causing his death to be sudden for his family.
I agree with Olivia that if Bedford was bombed I would be completely shocked and I would stick it out and spend the rest of the time with my family.
Watching Bedford being bombed on TV while I'm in home would be insane. My family and I would stay in our house and do whatever to stay alive - stick it out in the basement. It would be a disturbing sight to see B-town dying. To be completely honest, only a few people would try and save the horses in the area, because us humans are kind of selfish of our own kind. With the days leading up, Kroger would be very busy. Although, Bedford is a community where it helps each other through struggles. If we are all struggling, nothing will change. Looking at the news today during Hurricane Harvey in Houston - that is what I expect Bedford to be like. Everyone would help each other.
One thing that bothers me deeply is that the book gives the image of watching bombings of our own town on TV. I do believe that bombings would cause widespread power outages to anywhere remotely near to where a bomb struck a power line, so I don't think we would be watching ANYTHING on TV. I think the bit of the story is romanticized.
I wouldn't be sitting in my living room watching Bedford get bombed. I would try to find a bomb shelter and account for my family members so that I knew everyone was safe. I think it would be hard to watch my school and community destroyed. Those are images I wouldn't want to see. Although, if the school was destroyed, a newer, nicer school with good air conditioning would take its place.
There is not a chance I would be able to watch Bedford being bombed on TV as I sat in Bedford. I would probably go into a state of panic before thinking logically to take shelter. I'm not entirely sure where my family would take shelter as our house would surely be blown to pieces by the tiniest of bombs. I would most likely stay very close to my family and we would pray together that we were miraculously kept safe.
When her grandfather talks of the religious differences between himself and his wife, he's making the point that ultimately it didn't matter to them. They both accepted the other as they were and accommodated each other's beliefs in order to maintain a healthy relationship as it explains on page 284 "What does it hurt me to say happy Eid to her, once a year-when she is perfectly happy to light a candle for my dead in the church?"In the end, it's as he says- ultimately it's just nice to have someone who will miss you once you're gone, no matter the circumstances or beliefs that surround them. I have never really given thought to the deathless man's obsession with water, but I would guess that it mostly has to do with the fact that water is, in a way, the source of life, considering that all living creatures need it to some extent or the other. As someone who is immortal, maybe he needs it to feel like he's actually living just as everyone else is. He can't die of dehydration, but to continue drinking might give him some small amount of normalcy.
I think that the fact that the deathless man says the grandfather will die with suddenness, but he suffers anyway implies that the grandfather doesn't suffer because of death, but because of living. The deathless man also suggests that the grandfather would be glad for a sudden death, potentially meaning that the grandfather's release will be a relief, an end to his suffering in life.
The narrator sees a war with the purpose of "unraveling": unraveling of borders, connections, relationships, etc., to be pointless. There is no hope in a war that has no point, in comparison to one fought for freedom for yourself or others. The war being fought around the narrator seems to be one of unraveling.
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