The Alchemist: Bildungsroman

The Alchemist represents a bildungsroman as it illustrates the coming-of-age of a shepherd boy, Santiago. When he encounters the Gypsy and the king, Santiago understands his personal legend does not involve the sheep. Thus, he set out on a journey to find his personal legend as the king advices him. As he arrives in Africa, he lost all his money and hope. Nevertheless, he learns to view this event positively and finds hope for the future. Furthermore, on this journey, Santiago meets various people, the crystal merchant, the Englishman, and the alchemist, who teach him something about life. The crystal merchant and Englishman are examples of people who do not know the Language of the World; therefore, they can never find their destinies. Santiago learns what not to be from these two characters while he learns what he must do to reach his destiny from the alchemist. The alchemist teaches Santiago to use his heart in order to find courage and to speak the Language of the World. When he understands his heart, Santiago finds his treasure and understands the world.

Languge of the Universe: Love

Throughout his journey, the boy encounters many things and people that teach him the language of the world. The signs and omens of nature are parts of the universal language in which every creature acknowledges even the Spanish shepherd boy, his Spanish sheep, the camels, and the Arabs. The word, “Maktub,” represents the written language of the universe and signifies that everyone’s destiny lies in the various signs and omens of nature. However, each person must learn how to read these things before he or she is able to understand his or hers destiny. In addition, the language of the universe comes from the heart; therefore, it makes love the language that everyone around the word understands. If so, why does everyone remain ignorant of this universal language even though so many people have claimed they have fallen in love? Is it because we lack patient and the ability to listen or because we have surrounded ourselves with the pictures and languages of the world?

Bildungsroman- The House on Mango Street

In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros describes the coming-of-age of the young Latino girl, Esperanza. During this one year, Esperanza struggles to find her identity as a Latino girl wanting to escape the life in an impoverished community. She first struggles with the shame of being poor and living in a broken down house on Mango Street. Nevertheless, at the end she accepts her identity as a Latino girl from an impoverished community and embraces it, which indicate she is no longer ashamed of herself; therefore, she is determined to return to Mango Street and to help others after she succeeds. In addition, she has to learn what it means to be a woman especially a Latino one. The women within Esperanza’s community provide her with both negative and positive attributes of being a woman. Having both types in her life, Esperanza knows what kind of woman she wants to be and does not want to become. Furthermore, her ambition to escape the impoverishment of the Latino community pushes her to educate herself and to use her writing skill to break the viscous cycle destined for the Latino women and girls in her community.

Self-determination: Lucy and Esperanza

Esperanza’s character is similar to Lucy's as they break away from the constraints of the male sex. Even though Esperanza and Lucy are from two different socioeconomic classes, they both struggle to free themselves from the social stigma of being a woman. Esperanza has to fight against the expected future of a Latino woman living in poverty, which places these women at the window like her grandmother. These women are always under the authority and control of the men in their lives, either their father or their husband. Lucy has to deal with the same problem because in order to find happiness, she has to remove herself from the constraint of the English society, which forces her into marriage with a controlling man. Nevertheless, she finds strength to reject the male figure that views women as inferior being who needs guidance and training. At the end, both have determined for themselves their future and break away from the cultural constraint of being a woman.

Meeting the Wrong Women

The House on Mango Street describes Esparanza Cordero’s life in an impoverished part of Chicago. The life on this street shows her that she needs to escape Mango Street in order to have the life she desires. Through her female neighbors, she understands who she ought not to be. For instance, she does not want to be like Minerva whose husband “left and keeps leaving” her. Each time he beats her, she would ask what to do. However, it does not matter because she will let him return every time he begs for forgiveness. Esparanza cannot allow a man to treat her like a doormat. Another example is Marin who waits at the streetlight for someone to come pick her up and change her life. These females have taught Esparanza to be strong and to depend on herself for the changes in her life. Hence, she needs to rise above Mango Street on her own two feet in order to have a house to call her own.

Life of Pi: Bildungsroman

Life of Pi represents a bildungsroman as it describes the growth of the boy, Pi, in his struggle to stay alive on a lifeboat for 227 days with a tiger. Pi first has to develop his survival skills such as fishing for food and hydrating his body in order to survive physically. His first attempt to catch a fish is a failure. Nevertheless, he acquires the skill and eventually catches flying fish, dorado, and turtle. However, he also has to overcome the mental problems arising when he is alone on a lifeboat with only a tiger as a companion. He first has to deal with fear of the tiger that has kept him awake during the night. He overcomes the fear so it does not strip him of hope and trust; therefore, he tames the tiger by marking his territory and showing his strength. Thus, it allows him to sleep peacefully during the night and to view the tiger as companion. Additionally, he has to forget the illusion of time, a creation of society in order to live. Overcoming time and fear has kept hope alive in Pi and has shown his coming-of-age.

Religion as the centre

“The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists” (Martel 31). This quote alludes to the scene when the three religious leaders encounter Pi on the boardwalk. They are ignorant toward other religions and defensive against the criticism of other religious leaders. This lively conversation illustrates the “bane” of theologians when they put religion at the centre. Religion is important, but the most important thing is the worship of God through this institution. Without God, there is no need for religion. These theologians have forgotten the importance of God in this equation; therefore, they are bickering about the validity and superiority of their religion. Throughout history, this same attitude is present in the religious leaders who have called for holy wars. They have manipulated the believers into killing the nonbelievers because they are unworthy. This danger is the danger of putting religion at the centre rather than God.

I am a Muslim, a Christian, and a HIndu

Piscine Patel is a Hindu who later in life accepts Islam and Christianity. In his eyes, the importance of religion is to love God. Even though, he is a devout believer of these three religions, the Hindu, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders scrutinize Piscine for accepting all three faiths. Each religious leader fails to respect or see the beauty of the others religion like Piscine has; therefore, they begin to debase each other’s religious beliefs and ethics. Despite of his parents and the religious leaders’ disapproval, Piscine continues to love God by practicing all three religions because ultimately, there is one heaven, and the Islamic, Christian, and Hindu god is the same god. This faith in God has sustained him during his journey in the sea. He never fails to thank God for the blessings and never blame God when things go wrong. His faithfulness has given him strength to survive since he has God, the Hindu, the Islamic, and the Christian, at his side.

Going After Cacciato- Bildungsroman

Going After Cacciato resembles a bildungsroman novel as it explores the struggle of soldiers in Vietnam through Paul Berlin. Paul Berlin is the protagonist who arrives in Vietnam to fulfill his duty and responsibility as a patriotic citizen with great bravery. However, as he is more aware of the reality of war, he becomes fearful; therefore, sometimes he wets himself. Furthermore, survival turns into the most important mission. Hence, it leads him to conspire with his platoon to kill Lieutenant Sydney Martin because they cannot allow him to put their lives in danger in order to follow standard operating procedures. At this point, the war has demoralized Paul Berlin as he conspires to kill in an exchange for survival. Additionally, when Paul Berlin reasons to himself why he has burned a Vietnamese village, it shows the breakdown of the Paul Berlin’s initial moral standard. Along with the imaginative story of chasing Cacciato, rationalizing his action is a method of coping with the inhumanity of war. The Vietnam War changes Paul Berlin perspectives on war because he is no longer the naïve patriotic citizen but a soldier who only goal is to survive even if it means compromising his moral/ humanity.

There is no winner in war

When I listened to Dr. O’Brien telling his stories, I did not know how to response because this is a real person telling me a real story. Even though, my parents and grandparents rarely speak of the Vietnam War, I know it has affected our family. This war has forced my grandparents to migrate from North Vietnam to South Vietnam. They missed their home and siblings who remained in the north; therefore, only a few times in their life, they were able to travel the uncomfortable road back to the north to see what is left of their home. The war had separated many people from their loved ones for a long period of time or even forever. Furthermore, it removed the soldiers, like Dr. O’Brien, from civil society and forced them to kill to keep themselves alive long enough to see their loved one again. At the end, both sides lost.