FAT MAN/LITTLE BOY

Fat Man and Little Boy
The atomic bomb which is dropped on Japan by the Americans is a symbol of the worst possible outcome of the war. It is a reminder of the power that western civilization holds. The characters, who remain with the English patient, are attempting to escape the horrors of war in an Italian villa. The English lives in a world of the past and those who are with him try to live the same way in order to escape the harsh reality, which is defined by all of their problems. When news of the atomic bomb reaches the Italian villa their worlds of the past are shattered. The atomic bomb is a reminder of the world outside of the villa. “This tremor of Western wisdom” (284) effects Kip greatly, causing a sporadic emotion of hatred towards Almasy. Kip puts Almasy at gun point and blames him, being an Englishman, for all the awful things the west has done to Asia. Kip is bothered by the thought that the west would have never dropped that bomb on a white nation. The bomb is a reminder to the characters of the fears about Western nations being foolish with their power.

Heroine
The protagonist of a novel is defined as the leading character, most likely a hero or heroine. I believe that Hana is the protagonist of this novel. She is a leading character and holds heroine qualities which manifest themselves in her work. A hero or heroine is one who is distinguished for their courage and noble qualities. The novel is about Hana maturing into adulthood. She was just eighteen when she entered the war as a nurse, forcing her to grow up fast. She gave herself a new identity when she cut off all her hair, representing her maturity. She found refuge in the Italian hills, in a villa where she tended and cared for the English patient. She demonstrates noble characteristics by devoted her time to him. Almasy, the English patient, is unable to be the protagonist because his actions are not leading the story. He demonstrates no hero-like qualities, in fact we come to understand he is the bad spy that he was pinned to be. Although Hana originally found refuge in Italy because she wanted to escape her problems in reality, her isolation allowed her to grow as a person and become the heroine character she is at the end of the novel.

Deserts
The desert and desertion are motifs in the novel The English Patient. The desert has the ability to erase identities and transcend time. Almasy says he feels more connected to people of ancient times while he is in the desert. He says he cannot get that feeling any where else. The desert also claimed Almasy identity and changed his life forever. He “disappeared into the landscape.” (139) The desert has the mystical power of not being able to be owned. Many people have tried to leave their mark, only to be transcended. The desert also plays a role as a setting for some of the action that takes place in the novel. We learn of Almasy’s life previous to the crash and the lessons he learned from the desert. To him the openness and emptiness of the desert emphasizes the foolishness of the war. Desertion signals change in the novel. When Almasy leaves Katherine in the cave for three years, he changes while he’s gone and the when he returns she’s dead. Kip deserts Hana after finding out about the atomic bomb. He moves on with his life, but not without curiosity about Hana, which lingers in his mind. Deserts and the concept of desertion contribute to the major themes throughout the novel.

Film Overview
The film adaptation by Anthony Minghella has significant differences than the novel by Michael Ondaatje. The first major difference is the race of one of the main characters. Almasy, the English patient is characterized as black and very difficult to identify whether he is English or German. In the film, he is white, which allows Caravaggio the almost instantly realize that he could be the German spy, Almasy. In the novel Caravaggio takes a while to identify the English patient. Caravaggio’s early realization that Almasy wasn’t English aided the flow of the movie. Since he realized the English patient’s identity, we are able to see Almasy’s and Clifton’s affair sooner and more in dept. This keeps the interests of the viewers. In the movie we meet Kip sooner which causes tension and provokes the mind the guess what could happen later in the film. In the novel we don’t meet him until he finds her in the villa, while in the film we meet him after a land mine blows up Hana’s friend on the road. Although we have not seen the end of the film, we were warned in class that the ending is significantly different, which may effect our synopsis of the movie.

Cover Remodeling
The cover of our edition doesn’t serve the novel justice. Since we are contemporary scholars reading contemporary fiction, we should have the ability to judge a book by its cover. We are taught that for judging people; why not apply that to the books we read. First glimpse of the cover, told me the book would be boring and uneventful because the cover was very ambiguous and in black and white. My rendition of the cover would include Hana taking care of Almasy, in bed, at the Italian villa with a plane about to crash in the desert in the background. The portion with Hana is necessary because we can better understand the basis of the novel and it addresses of the themes of dying in holy places. The background is more enticing, to intrigue interested readers. It tells the story of how Almasy became the man in bed. I think the background should be in color and the front portion the in black and white because it would highlight the concept of living the past, which Almasy does while bed-ridden. This cover wouldn’t be as ambiguous, which might intrigue more readers.