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.

Going After Cacciato

After reading Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Briens, in some ways, Cacciato represents the Vietnam War. The novel begins with Cacciato leaving his squad in order to pursue his dream of Paris; therefore, his comrades must catch this deserter. Cacciato’s dream of Paris is similar to the American dream of freedom for South Vietnam during the war. As time passes, Cacciato moves further away from Vietnam and closer to Paris. Similarly, as the war progresses, the American people lost track of reality and Vietnam and continued to pursue the war for their dream. The war continued not on the behalf of the Vietnamese people but on the American dream. Furthermore, the number of people in the squad pursuing Cacciato diminishes as he continues to pursue Paris, hence the number of American supporting the American dream in Vietnam also diminished. In some cases, as the Vietnam War prolonged, the American people lost sight of the American dream as the squad has lost sight of Cacciato at various times in their journey.

The Violent Bear It Away- Bildungsroman

It is difficult to characterize The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor as a bildungsroman because when people think about growth, it is usually positive.  Nevertheless, Francis, the protagonist, depicts a boy coming-of age even though as the novel progresses, he falls further from the ways of heroic figures such as Harry ad Huck.  This fourteen years old boy struggles with how to live his life.  In his case, he has only two types of life to pick, one of Old Tarwater and the other of Rayber.  Old Tarwater's extremist life is based on blind religion while Rayber's extremist life is based on intellect and reason.  These two isolated extremists' lives foreshadow the doom awaiting Francis.  It is evident from the beginning of the novel, when O'Connor shows Francis's deteriorating mental condition as he struggles to free himself from Old Tarwater.  Hence, Francis burns all the memories of him and run to this uncle, Rayber.  He escapes from one extremist into the house of another where Raybe manipulates him to murder Bishop, which leads him to lose another part of his sanity.  At last, he encounters Lilac man and was raped, which causes him to lose the last part of his sanity.

The Violent Bear It Away- Mason Tarwater

Mason Tarwater embodies all the negative aspects of religious missionaries as his overbearing persistence to save souls has brought animosity between him and his family who send him into the asylum. He has insisted on saving his sister even though she does not desire it. When he forces religion upon his sister and her family, he infringes on their freedom to choose freely their faith. He displays the same characteristics of the missionaries in Africa during the colonial period. Mason and these missionaries regard unbelievers to be inferior and doomed; therefore, God has summoned them on the mission to save their souls. Their extreme behaviors such as chastising their behaviors and religions and executing nonbelievers discourage many from following in their footstep and accept religion. As they push people against the wall, people will retaliate and disregard their invitation to seek religion. At the end of the day, only hostility arises among the missionaries and the people rather than the conversion of faith.

The Bear: Bildungsroman

The Bear represents a bildungsroman because it shows the growth in Ike, the protagonist, through the various hunting trips he participated. When Ike is a boy, he is fascinated with hunting down Old Ben, the legendary bear, due to civilization’s desire to triumph over nature. Nevertheless, each year when he returns to hunt Old Ben, he sees more of nature and begins to understand its beauty and essence through the guidance of Sam Fathers. On his last trip into the hunting ground, he sees civilization slowly destroying it and forcing Boon to insanity. Witnessing these things and discovering the sins of his grandfather, Ike rejects his inheritance because he wants to cut off his relationship with the land which causes many people to suffer. As Ike becomes more synchronized with nature, he finds strength to reject his inheritance and worldly possessions, the compass and stick. He further understands that no one is the rightful owner of land because it belongs to nature. From a boy who accepts his role as part of civilization, Ike has grown to become a man who rejects civilization’s most precious possession, land, in order to find peace within him.

The Bear: WILDERNESS

The wilderness is a social constructed term that human being establishes to differentiate between civil society and the untamed nature. The people and animals in The Bear other than Sam Fathers, Boon, Lion, and Isaac view nature as the wilderness because they observe nature through the eyes of the established society. Nevertheless, when a person, such as Isaac, learns to appreciate the wilderness for its beauty and mystery, he does not view nature as the wilderness but a primitive state of all living things. Thus, it allows him to let go of his compass, watch, and stick because he knows in this primitive state, men are capable of living without worldly possessions.

The Bear

In order to demonstrate humanity's great desire to tame nature, Faulkner describes how the group of hunters along with Isaac chases after Old Ben, the legendary bear, and attempts to kill him year after year. Their continuous attempts illustrates how passionate men are to control their natural surrounding, and they will not stop until accomplishing it despite disastrous consequences. These hunters finally accomplish their goal and triumph over nature when Boon kills Old Ben. However, during the process, they lost many dogs including Boon’s favorite hound, Lion, and Sam Fathers. A greater consequence presents itself at the end when Boon shoots Isaac in an attempt to protect his possessions, the squirrels. This tragic ending emphasizes that humanity’s desire to control and possess everything in life will lead humans to turn against one another as commonly seen in the history of wars and slavery.

Many scholars have considered Their Eyes Were Watching God as bildungsroman novel because it describes a black woman, Janie, finding her voice as she searched for love in a society where women and black people were oppressed. Janie has three husbands that help her understand herself and love. With her first husband, Logan, she realizes she needs someone to regard her more than a source of production, mule; therefore, she runs away and marries Jody, thinking it is love. However, Jody disappoints her because he belittles her intelligence and disregards her as a human being when he puts her on a display case. From Jody, Janie acknowledges that love is not physical abuse; therefore, she stops caring about Jody and locks her intimate feelings up after he slaps her due to an unsatisfied dinner. When love looks like a lost case, Tea Cake appears and marries her. Her third marriage teaches her about understanding and forgiveness in marriages and love. Furthermore, their relationship has freed her from societal constraints as she does not care to wear mourning clothes, as she remains silent at the trial, and as she silently returns to town. She matures into a woman who does not need society to define her anymore, thus, her power is her silence.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Zora Neale Hurston uses the phrase, “their eyes were watching God,” as the title of her book; nevertheless, this phrase appears only once, when it describes the people waiting for the hurricane with uncertainty of what might come. This uncertainty also describes the feelings of African American living in the Harlem Renaissance. Like the storm, this event is unpredictable. Nevertheless, it allows the African American race to embrace their cultural identity through art, literature, music, and philosophy. However, what lies ahead after this storm is uncertain; therefore, they must watch the work of nature, God. Since nature is blind and cannot see race, gender, or economic status, it affects everyone both white and black, men and women, and rich and poor as seen in the storm. Even though one might has lost everything due to the storm as Janie has, the acknowledgement of self will live on as it did for Janie. Thus, like the storm, the Harlem Renaissance will affects everyone, and once it passed, the acknowledgement of the self will live on when we read its literature, listen to its music, and look at its art.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- equality

Both Their Eyes Were Watching God and A Room with a View describe how their female protagonists, Janie and Lucy respectively, search for a relationship, which the female sex is equal to the male sex. Each has to encounter men who are passionless and treat them only as possessions. For Lucy, this man is her fiancé, Cecil, who treats her as a beautiful painting he owes; therefore, he wants to manipulate and mold her into a more valuable piece of art. Logan and Jody are the Cecil for Janie. These two men disregard Janie’s feelings and desires because they views women’s feelings to be nonsense. Despite of these two men, Janie finds a relationship in which her partner, Tea Cake, shows her that she is more than just another beautiful object to admire but not to love. He also respects her as an equal being as George is toward Lucy. These two female characters have to surpass conventional thoughts of what a woman ought to be and ought not to be before they are content with and true to themselves. This change has led them to a relationship, which the male and female are complements to one another.

A Room with a View-Bildungsroman???

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster is an example of a bildungsroman because the novel revolves around the growth of the protagonist, Lucy. She changes from being timid to being bold about her passion. Since the English society deems the display of passion as an unacceptable behavior, during Lucy’s first trip to Florence, she shows her timidity. First, she apologizes for playing the piano because her music displays great passion. Second, she flees to Rome as soon as passion touches her lips when George kisses her. Both times, Lucy fears her unconventional behaviors will stun the English society. However, when Lucy reencounters passion in Surrey, where she lives, she faces her passion and embraces it as soon as she breaks off her engagement with Cecil, her upper-class fiancé, and marries George, her unrestrained lover. She is able to face criticism from society and Mrs. Honeychurch, her mom, when she professes her love to George publicly. When she denies society, she allows herself to love fully instead of having to deny her secretive love all through the novel.

A Room with a View: Lucy's marriage

At the end of the novel, Lucy decides to break off her engagement with Cecil. Nevertheless, it takes her quite some time before she admits to herself that she is in love with George Emerson, thus leads them eloping. If I am Lucy, I do not think I have the courage to leave my family and marry someone like George because I need my parents and sisters’ approval before getting married. It is already hard enough to date someone my parents disapprove; therefore, marriage is out of the question. I pity Lucy because when passion burns out and problems start to arise between George and her, she has no one to lean on or console her. In situations like this where passion controls the characters’ lives, it makes me recall the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet, where passionate love does not lead to a happy ever after life.

A Room with a View: Charlotte Barlett

Charlotte Barlett is Lucy Honeychurch’s cousin and chaperone during her trip to Florence. Even though, Charlotte always tells Lucy she cannot take anything good since it is improper, her tone shows her resentment toward Lucy and her selfishness. She resents the fact that she needs to chaperone Lucy because she needs to show how grateful she is toward Mrs. Honeychurch, who pays for part of Charlotte’s trip to Florence. Furthermore, the various conversations between Lucy and Charlotte indicate her selfishness. Charlotte’s selfless talks show Lucy that she is grateful and thinks about Lucy’s well-being before hers. However, Charlotte’s behaviors indicate she is only protecting her reputation as a good and dutiful woman. For instance, she asks Lucy not to reveal to Mrs. Honeychurch about George’s improper behaviors because she does not want Mrs. Honeychurch to view her as ungrateful and undutiful for not protecting Lucy like a proper chaperone. Later on when she knows Lucy’s secret will be revealed by Miss Lavish, she warns Lucy about the consequences for not telling Mrs. Honeychurch and her finance about George’s behaviors in order to protect herself once again. She is selfish character who constantly watching out for her interest while appearing proper.

Huckleberry Finn- Huck's changes

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contains the characteristic of a bildungsroman, but Huck’s changes are more subtle than Harry’s are. Nevertheless, the change in Huck is visible when Huck realizes how cruel humans could be toward one another as the people humiliate and torture the king and duke. This incident shows a change in Huck’s attitude toward reality when he recognizes the cruelty of conventional traditions. Still a boy, Huck deems himself to hell as he has decides to save Jim because society has taught him that stealing runaway slaves is a sin. He makes his own decision despite society’s teaching. Toward the end of the novel, the changes in Huck are more visible when his character once again associates with Tom Sawyer. At the beginning, Huck admires Tom’s style, however, when he encounters Tom again, his tone changes. He recognizes Tom’s plan to be more costly while it reaches the same goal as his. He compromises with Tom during the planning, nevertheless, at that critical moment, Huck ignores Tom’s plan and fetches a doctor to save Tom’s life. In addition, he acknowledges the human inside Jim even though he is black. These events show Huck has developed critical thinking skills and not just accept convention.

Huckleberry Finn- Jim and Huck

Huck is very glad to see Jim when he first encountered him in the island because he feels lonesome traveling alone. During the adventure, Jim and Huck provide each other companionship, when Jim plays the father figure for Huck, always taking Huck’s watches, calling Huck honey, protecting Huck from harm, and crying when he finds Huck again after they have lost each other. Each person has given the other what he misses in his life. Jim needs someone to care for while he misses his wife and children, and Huck is there needing someone to nurture him while he grows. Both develop an attachment toward the other because they have become dependent on each other for companionship and survival. Furthermore, Jim’s compassion has led Huck to develop a conscience, which denies conventional treatment of slaves as he decides that he rather go to hell and steal a “nigger,” Jim. Throughout this adventure, Huck and Jim have not only kept each other company and from going insane since human beings cannot live alone, they also help each other grow.

Huckleberry Finn- being civilized

What does being civilized mean? According to Huck, being civilized is to bathe oneself, to dress in tight and uncomfortable clothes, to wear clean clothes, to behave and to speak properly, and most importantly to pray. When the widow, Ms. Watson tries to civilize Huck by teaching him these things, he feels trap and uncomfortable. Even though, he does not like living with his pap, he sure does not want to return to live with Ms. Watson either when pap returns to take him back. This emphasizes that being civilized is as bad as pap’s beating and drunkenness and is an imprisonment as it forces people to conform to societal view of what is proper human behaviors; therefore, Huck tries to escape from it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Bildungsroman?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows embodies the characteristic of a bildungsroman as the book shows how each character has grown. Even Dumbledore, Harry’s perfect mentor, has gone through changes before becoming the man Harry knows. He has to cope with the guilt of his sister’s death and comes to realize his flaw, power. These developments have allowed the honorable Dumbledore to prepare Harry to fight against Lord Voldemort. One could also see great changes in Harry and Ron characters. Both Ron and Harry have to accept their roles despite of their insecurities. Ron comes to realize his role in the group even though he lacks Hermione’s intelligence and does not have Harry’s importance as the one who escaped. In addition, Harry has to accept his responsibilities as destined person to destroy Lord Voldemort even though he is unsure of his abilities to do the job. Hermione is another character who undergoes a change; however, it is more subtle in comparison to others. Since the beginning of the book, Hermione supports Harry in his quest even when Ron leaves. However, she becomes stronger as she comes face to face with torture. The development of these characters shows the bildungsroman characteristic of the book.

Ron - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Ron and Hermoine are Harry’s closest friends in school and the people who accompanied him in all his quests. Nevertheless, during the last quest Ron impulsively leaves Hermoine and Harry. His loyalty toward Harry and Hermoine leads him back just in time to help Harry escapes the locket. One discovers later in the book that Ron’s insecurity has driven him away from his two best friends. Since he has always walked in Harry’s shadow, he never feels good enough because he is not Harry, the one who escaped. Despite his feelings, he continues to be loyal to Harry and aides him during his quest. Even though he cannot use magic like Hermoine, his loyalty and bravery has helped Harry pass through danger, the locket, and provides Harry with the strength to defeat Voldemort. Many readers could relate to Ron’s character because they have felt the same insecurity as a teenager; however, they also admire Ron because unlike many, he remains loyal to Harry, despite his insecurity.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- first bog

“Oh, a friend! How true is that old saying, that the enjoyment of one is sweeter and more necessary than that of the elements of water and fire” – Michel de Montaigne

Friendship/companionship is an important aspect during the protagonists’ adventures in many books we have read, such as Gilgamesh and Monkey. Similarly, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows also emphasizes the importance of friendship in Harry’s journey to find and destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes. When Harry has to face Voldemort’s attack as the Order tries to relocate him, his friends volunteer to be his duplicate in their attempt to deceive the evil forces. The death of Mad Eye Moody and the selfless act of his friends have allowed Harry to relocate himself safely. Just like what Dumbledore said, the difference between Harry and Voldemort is friendship, also his strength against Voldemort. Dumbledore’s statement proves to be true when Ron saves Harry from the locket and when Hermoine uses magic to help Harry escapes danger just as danger comes close to destroying him. Their companionship has provided Harry with the strength to continue his quest to destroy Voldemort.