English patient thought 2:
After dwelling into the story a bit more, I've discovered that this book is not a simple story. It's not just about a nurse caring for a patient. But rather, it's about the reflection of the patient and his continually developing relationships with the characters in the story. The intricate backgrounds and mystifying relations of one person to another adds a very enigmatic atmosphere to the story. Furthermore, the story also introduces very mature themes, for example sex and drugs; however these should not be too much to handle for a group of seventeen year old boys. The plot itself is driven by continuous flashbacks of the patient, which reveals to the readers that he was an desert explorer; however he cannot seem to remember his name or nationality. In addition, the plot is also driven by the setting. The villa that Hana, the nurse, and the patient is living in is dotted with German land mines. This prompts many visitors into the villa which becomes acquainted with the patient. Up to this point, I am enjoying the book a lot and look forward to see how it unravels in front of me.
Feb, 7th
Do you think the English patient cannot remember his name due to physical injury, or he just doesn't want to remember his name due to stress and mental disorder?? - Henry K
ReplyDeleteI don't think the drug abuse is a big problem. The main problem for these people is that they have gone through war, which is a terrifying experience. The brain would act differently after such a huge shock to the system. They need ways to alleviate such a stress, so many people would abuse drugs. However, Hana and the Sikh use other ways to try and forget the pains and suffering.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the German mines will affect the relationship between Hana and the Patient? Why do you think Hana chose the actions that she did?
ReplyDeleteDesert explorer? I thought he's a pilot who had a plane crash and thus lost his memory... But anyways, I agree with you on the strong sexual content, and I am definitely enjoying the book as well :D
ReplyDeleteYea, he was a plane pilot I think. But I remember somewhere in the book where it said he drew maps, and remembered could remember at the back of his head. That image sort of reminded me of an explorer. But I suppose he was more of "intelligence gatherer".
ReplyDelete