PLOT/AUTHOR/THEME
1) The course of the novel was something new that I had never read before. Instead of choosing the traditional story form to present the tale being told, the author chose to present to us this novel through personal scripts of occurrences from specified characters themselves, sort of like diaries in which each individual shared their thoughts on the situation and core beliefs. It still managed to follow a chronological order which made it much more easier to focus rather than scattered information everywhere. The novel was about a mysterious young woman who went by the name of Athena who chose to preach to the world about the Voice and the Mother of the world which in our terms would and could be translated into our intuition and encouraged us to follow it because it can save us from many situations. The author also demonstrated a corrupt society in which freedom of choice and speech fail to exist and how the fight to practice our beliefs becomes so intense that unfortunately making an escape only frees you in the moment but does not fix the situation. This amazing author managed to portray his many themes in multiple different and distinct ways throughout the novel.
2) The were far too many themes in the novel. One of the main ones was to follow your instincts which could not be stressed enough. No matter how difficult it may be to choose what you think is right and follow it regardless. He talked about not giving up because you will fall many times as shown in the novel, but the minute you allow the other side to tell you that your way of living and morals are wrong, then that is when they have won. Another theme that really caught my attention and I felt spoke directly to my heart was the example of human beings following the life of an everyday ant in the world; how we do as we were told to do from the start, from the minute we were born and live our entire lives this way never questioning why. It sounds ridiculous but that is exactly what it is, and it just shows how caught up in the system we are that we are far too unaware of how great life is in order to realize it and instead engage in such idiotic behavior. Another great theme I took from it was to do the things that make you happy. It is your life and no one can take that away from you, at least not mentally or spiritually; so live it the way it should be lived with happiness.
3) The author's tone was a very straightforward one that approached every lesson with love for human beings which is one of the many reasons I very much enjoy reading about this author. On the top of page 12, Edda, character in the novel, states that, "Athena brought to the surface the immensely rich world we all carry in our souls, without realizing that people aren't yet ready to accept their own powers." This is a life lesson because far too many people do not understand the things they are capable of and instead live the majority of their lives in misery and failure because they were too afraid to take risks and do the things they should have been doing all along. On page 27 Lukas shares, "When I sit still or when I'm feeling very agitated, I feel as though I am vibrating along with the whole Universe..." If you have ever felt like this, it is simply a state of inquiry. It is us questioning ourselves, what we are and who we want to be. It is us extracting ourselves from daily activities and what is "important" in society and the world at the moment and just engaging in a sense of isolationism, however, at the same time still with a whole universe. On page 35 Lukas again speaks of a concept that is universal and dear to all of us when he says, "Music isn't just something that conforms or distracts us, it goes beyond that-it's an ideology. You can judge people by the kind of music they listen to." This is very interesting as many of us may take offense to it but it can be true. For example, I myself listen to various different genres of music instead of a single one, from this you can draw insight to my flexibility in interests and what they all mean to me. You probably could not judge entirely on a person's character through music but for the most part you are able to learn much about a person and their personality by studying the type of music they listen to.
4) *Allusion; page 193- "Maybe the Mother wanted to appear that night, and perhaps she whispered something in her ear: Go against everything you've learned so far. You, who are a mistress of rhythm, allow the rhythm to pass through your body, but don't obey it." Translation: Sometimes, whether you are aware of it or not. you may be being taught the wrong things unfortunately enough and there will come a time in which you will have to make that decision on your own.
*Analogy; page 53- "Dance until you are so out of breath that your organism is forced to obtain oxygen in some other way, and it is that, in the end, that will cause you to lose your identity and your relationship with space and time." Translation: You should put your entire heart and soul into everything you do. Go hard.
*Antithesis; page 52- "Paintings and sculptures were quickly sold, but the books remained, gathering dust." Translation: Two contrasting meanings in proximity to one another.
*Assonance; page 209- "Last night, I died." Translation: The repetition of the vowel sound i takes place and is repeated about three times in the sentence to catch the readers attention.
*Cacophony; page 254- "And so, when the first bailiff arrives, I'll shoot, and I'll keep shooting until the bullets run out. If they don't shoot me first, I'll use the knives in my house. If they take the knives, I'll use my teeth and my nails. But no one is going to take Viorel away from me, or only over my dead body." Translation: The words utilized in this sentence create a disturbing, uncomfortable atmosphere by also demonstrating the love from a mother and what she is willing to do.
*Flashback; page 144- "When you dance you can enjoy the luxury of being you."
Translation: Atehna is thinking back to all the times she has danced crazily and her feelings at the time.
*Point of View; page 145- "Athena moved closer. We were now less than an arm's length from each other, and I started to feel afraid." Translation: The point of view of Andrea is much different from Athena's. While Athena is calm and does not feel threatened, Andrea is freaking out and wants to leave the place.
*Mood; page 145- "Her gray eyes were fixed on mine\, but I held firm and didn't look away." Translation: Intensity is the mood reflected from this. The atmosphere here is very tense and uncomfortable probably for both even though only one may be expressing it.
*Motif; page 254- "I'll shoot, and I'll keep shooting until the bullets run out. If they don't shoot me first, I'll use the knives in my house. If they take the knives, I'll use my teeth and my nails. But no one is going to take Viorel away from me, or only over my dead body." Translation: The motif here is to fight for what you believe in even if it gets to a point where it is physical. This concept is carried out through the entire novel. It is expressed numerous times to never give up on your dreams because then your life will have absolutely no purpose.
*Irony; page 264- "It wasn't my idea to make it look as if she'd been murdered. Athena wanted to disappear..." Translation: The irony here is that she herself was abandoned at a young age by her mother and she despised her for that and now that she has chosen to leave, she has thought nothing of her son and has abandoned him as well.
CHARACTERIZATION
1) The author utilizes both indirect and direct characterization to present with more than one perspective which is essential in life because too many people are too quick to judge when they hear a story or rumor since they only pay attention to one side of the story or listen to one person's view of the topic not multiple. Examples of indirect characterization throughout this novel would be the entire book because throughout the entire novel we are given articles with accounts from different people from all areas about a single person-Athena. He does this for the same reason I stated; to provide us with a variety of fruitful opinions and accurate facts. Examples of direct characterization would be when he says thing such as "No one can manipulate anyone else. In any relationship, both parties know what they're doing, even if one of them complains later on that they were used," or "I'm not surprised that her life ended as it did: she was always flirting with danger," both by Andrea McCain the author is giving us direct insight into their character and the type of personality they possess through these direct words about themselves or individuals. Like this we are able to judge the characters directly because we have heard what they have to say and it is not what someone else said about them, therefore, we do not have to validate it or verify it before making inferences.
2) The author's syntax and diction definitely changes because the book is set up not as a regular novel but as more of a gathering of facts and opinions from others left to our judgment about Athena so the context definitely changes because it has to. Every single account is unique, special, different and important to the novel.
3) The protagonist is very dynamic which is why the novel is so interesting because it gives the characters so much to talk about especially since her actions vary throughout the entire novel. Her desires for the most part don't change but her approach and discoveries all around definitely do and it is definitely a journey not just for the characters themselves but also the reader.
4) One of the many phrases I have come to learn and appreciate is "But the world has progressed...But although we have managed to replace slaves with wage slaves, all the advances we've made have been in the field of science. Human beings are still asking the same questions as their ancestors. In short, they haven't evolved at all." I love this because it is so true. This entire time I have thought and been confused as to why some things are so bad, such as racism or why some things just never seem to change, such as religion; when all along it seems as though we have only evolved physically because we are never taught how to coach with our feelings or handle them individually and even then, everyone denies it or acts as if they are suddenly too great and can manage these things on their own(ex: macho man). What I am trying to say is that we have not evolved psychologically or socially. There is still much room for improvement for us in these areas and have much to discover about ourselves. After reading the book I feel like I have gotten to know the author better and have been thankfully enlightened by his wisdom. Every single time I read one of this author's novels I feel as though I become wiser and wiser and it is not really anymore about the story itself but all about the life lessons being taught in the story that make you understand so much about life. This man is truly amazing and I am obsessed with reading each and every single one of his existentialist novels.
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