If you are diagnosed with a terminal cancer and only have months to live, what will you choose to do next? Would you act like a pessimist or an optimist? Would you choose to give in to your fate and suffer through the pain; or would you choose to stand up to the disease and spend the last days of your life indulging yourself in doing things you enjoy? It seems that none of these options were accepted by Ben Givens, the protagonist in the novel “East of the Mountains”; instead, he went on a unique path which one could hardly expect… “East of the Mountains”, published by Vintage Contemporaries in 1999, is a fictional novel written by the American author named David Guterson. The novel is written in third-person point of view and depicts a dying …show more content…
man’s journey through a landscape that would finally lead him to the place where he was born. The novel, being a National Best-selling book of the year, remains a strikingly beautiful and thought-provoking piece of literature. The storyline is very engaging in the way it presents an extraordinary journey travelled by a protagonist with an interesting background; and in the way it coheres to the moral and spiritual struggle within the protagonist. The protagonist, 73-year-old Ben Givens, was a retired cardiothoracic surgeon.
His children and grandchildren had all become independent; while his beloved wife, Rachel Lake, passed away nineteen months ago. Ben lived alone in a house in Seattle with his two dogs, Rex and Tristan; and he did some hunting in the woods every day. However, one thing that had disrupted Ben from his normal life was the fact that he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer---colon cancer that had metastasized. After realizing that he had only months to live, and in an effort to relieve himself from the tormenting pain of the cancer, Ben decided to end his life in his own terms. He lied to his family members about his disease and told them that he was going on a hunting trip. Nevertheless, Ben’s real goal was to travel to Palisades, somewhere in eastern Washington over the Cascade Range, where he had grown up, and kill himself with the shotgun inherited from his father. After he was equipped with the shotgun and other life necessities, Ben set out one last journey (with his dogs by his side) which would end with …show more content…
suicide. So far, the atmosphere in this story was very gloomy and depressing. The author, David Guterson, did a superior job enhancing the atmosphere by using the imageries of the surroundings and pervading through the protagonist’s thoughts. The tragic setting draws readers’ attention upon the poor protagonist and urges them to see what would happen next. Coincidentally, as if interfered by his destiny, Ben ran into a car accident shortly after his journey began.
The physical injury (moderate ones, of course) and the loss of his vehicle had not prevented Ben from continuing his journey. Since he was determined to reach his hometown by all means, Ben’s trip turned into one full of twists and turns. Ben Givens met many people who had helped him and whom he had helped, especially those who were on the verge of death. The old man, feeling despair and melancholic because of the excruciating cancer, doubted the significance of living at the beginning of the story. However, the people he met on the road, the stories he learned from them, and the past memories over which he lingered gradually affected Ben’s mind; they reminded him of the mystery of life’s endurance. Somehow, Ben started to reevaluate the significance of life and death; he reconsidered about his current situation and started to question his own motive. As a result, Ben’s trek into the wilderness of eastern Washington turned into something more than a journey to commit
suicide. The most prominent themes explored in the novel “East of the Mountains” were the interplay between life and death, and the choice a person was given to embrace either one of them. Generally, the interplay between life and death was highlighted by Ben’s intention to commit suicide as a way to get rid of the pain he was suffering. Nonetheless, Ben himself was also perplexed by whether life was valuable enough to be maintained as long as possible; and he discovered the answer to this question at the end of his journey. At the same time, the theme of the interplay between life and death was also revealed in the two long flashbacks. In the first flashback, which was about Ben’s childhood life in his parents’ apple orchard,
Suicide is an unfortunate end of the life of a person who is undergoing great suffering. This person usually can no longer deal with his or her problems and falls back on what seems like the only way out: death. This is never the right choice as there are always other options. Although many options are drastic, they are better than death. In the novel Fifth Business, Leola falls into a deep depression as all the things that are keeping her together, in her not overly successful life seem to suddenly disappear. She finds out that her husband, which is very demanding of her and who she tries to impress constantly, was in fact cheating on her. On page 183, her husband’s deeds are revealed: “He was explicit about his sexual needs... there where two or three women in Montreal whom he visited.”. Leola could not take this news and because she saw no other way decided to resort to suicide as is described on page 188. “Leola had cut her wrists and laid herself down to die in high Roman fashion, in a warm bath... she had made a gory but not fatal job of it.”. Leola could have had many other wa...
Having been educated at Harvard and University of Iowa, and having served as a lieutenant in Vietnam (Twenty12fttrees, 2010), he brings research and experience together creating a soul-searching composition in Mountains Beyond Mountains. He is well versed and extremely credible having dedicated so much time immersing himself in the midst of Farmer’s journey. Not only does he take time to review and research Farmer’s published work, he travels across time and space, embracing details that make readers feel as if they are actually there.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Kidder, T. (2004).
In Craig Lesley’s novel The Sky Fisherman, he illustrates the full desire of direction and the constant flow of life. A boy experiences a chain of life changing series of events that cause him to mature faster than a boy should. Death is an obstacle that can break down any man, a crucial role in the circle of life. It’s something that builds up your past and no direction for your future. No matter how hard life got, Culver fought through the pain and came out as a different person. Physical pain gives experience, emotional pain makes men.
Just in the introduction Chris Crutcher throws a huge incident at the reader that caught and held their interest. In the first chapter Ben Wolf is diagnosed with a rare blood disease, which if not treated will leave him with a maximum of one year to live. The reader might have found this thrilling because curiosity arises to what the protagonist will do with his short time to live. And what decision he will make in regards to the people that he loves and to the events that are soon to come, for example, Ben says, “ I’m going to feel bad any time I get anything good, `caus...
Before the move to Coghill, Tom wanted his old life back. He sees the accident as the end of his life, though this he seems to have lost connection to his family and his sense of identity. Tom feels guilty and ashamed about the irrevocable consequences of Daniel’s irresponsibility and the impact this had on other people and their families. Retreats into a depressed state which feels empty and black. After the accident, Tom’s life was changed forever.
From death to drug use “The Ascent”, teaches a crucial moral lesson in how decisions affect more than one individual. In Ron Rash’s, “The Ascent”, he tells a story about a boy named Jared who has a rough life due to his parent’s decision making. While Jared is on Christmas break he begins to explore in the woods. As he was exploring he discovers a crashed plane that went missing recently. As the story continues Jared reveals little details, or inner thoughts that his young mind does not understand what is happening around him. Rash’s use of naïve narrator, critical foreshadowing, and imagery to create an effective setting that leads to a character revelation.
As their journeys progress, each man is forced to overcome certain obstacles and hardships. At the end
Yet he remains disoriented and unmoored, trapped by memory and grief, "a damaged chromosome" the more so after Athos' premature death. By then, however, Jakob has discovered his m‚tier as poet and essayist and strives to find in language the meaning of his life. The miraculous gift of a soul mate in his second wife, "voluptuous scholar" Michaela, comes late for Jakob. Their marriage is brief, and ends in stunning irony. The second part of the novel concerns a younger man, Ben, who is profoundly influenced by Jakob's poetry and goes to the Greek island of Idhra in an attempt to find the writer's notebooks after his death. Ben is another damaged soul. The son of Holocaust survivors, he carries their sorrow like a heavy stone. Emotionally maimed and fearful, Ben feels that he was "born into absence.
The entire story was a symbol of Needy’s life. The setting in the story was symbolic to the way Needy was feeling. Needy’s life was diminishing right before his eyes, and he did not realize it. The different changes in the story represented how much Needy’s life had gradually changed over time. By reading the story the reader can tell that Needy was in a state of denial.
Benjamin Braddock is at a crossroads in his life. He has just graduated college which means he has reached adulthood and must decide what to do with his life. The problem is Benjamin is too immature to handle it. He is passive and watches the world around him move on. Ben prefers to lie around in his parent's pool rather than consider graduate school or finding good quality job. He is beginning to realize that the path his parents have chosen for him isn't the one he wishes to follow. He is lost young man in search of high dreams, ...
In the beginning of Beah’s memoir, the tone was suspenseful. When Beah’s village was under attack by rebels, his family had to escape, while he was with his brother and friends in another city. During that time, he had to fend for himself and try to survive out in the open, without his parents, along with his brother and friends. Eventually, Beah was separated from his brother and friends and was all alone. “I walked for two days
The novella begins by describing the quest of a Franciscan monk, Brother Juniper, to figure out why some people’s lives are cut short while others, apparently less deserving of life, live well into their eighties and nineties. He has happened to witness a terrible accident
Gonzales, Laurence. Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why: True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2003. Print.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, suicide is treated differently on the aspects of religion, morals, and philosophical views. Suicide is the act of deliberately killing yourself in contrary to your own best interests. In today’s society suicide is highly looked down upon. But Shakespeare used suicide and violence in almost all of his most popular plays. Many of his tragedies used the element of suicide, some accomplished, others merely contemplated. Shakespeare used suicide as a dramatic device. A character’s suicide could promote a wide range of emotions: horror, condemnation to pity, and even respect. Some of his suicides could even take titles like the noble soldier, the violated woman, and star-crossed lovers. In Othello, Othello see suicide as the only escape from the pangs and misery of life. In The Rape of Lucrece, Lucrece kills herself after being raped because she cannot live with her shame. And in Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers could not find happiness if life, so death was perceived as a way that they could be united with each other. Shakespeare was dealing with a very controversial subject: Was it right to end life in order to escape the cruel and unjust world? In the time of the Renaissance, many things had an impact on suicide such as religion, morals, and aesthetic views.
From time to time, Baker goes back to a churchyard cemetery situated in a beautiful countryside surrounded by the view of blue mountains, blossoming roses on fieldstone fences and fields of white daisies. He goes there to visit his family members who passed away. As he moves from tombstones to tombstones, he remembers his folks and individually recalls memories and situations about them from the pass. He bear in mind his folks and guidance they gave him. For example, he remembers his uncle Lewis who was a barber who always wanted to give him a haircut. Such encounter with his memories changes his state of mind and conquers his busy life in the city. At the end Baker “leaves rather more content with the world“ because he learns how the peace of countryside and memories of relatives help him to recover his consciousness.