Looseness In Ondaatje

"Let me now re-emphasise the extreme looseness of the structure of all objects" How Ondaatje makes use of "loosness" in the novel.

In “In The Skin Of A Lion” by Michael Ondaatje, “the extreme looseness of the structure of all objects” is carried into the themes, characters and into the nature of the novel itself. Ondaatje uses a “looseness” in the style of the novel - post modernism, and “looseness of structure” in the way that people are able to stretch and expand their boundaries: transform or mask themselves into someone not typical of their social group.

This novel was written in the late 1980s and is classified as a post-modern work. Essentially, “In The Skin Of A Lion” has many traits of a post-modern novel, it deals with chaos and order, has multi-layered interpretations, provokes an ambiguous and mixed reaction from the reader, and has varied approaches to the conventional storyline; beginning, exposition, and closure. There are liberties taken with the time structure of the narrative.

The story itself is like a “mural, [the] falling together of accomplices.” Ondaatje tells of ordinary people who’s stories interlock and intersect, with many “fragments of human order”. Ondaatje does not tell the stories loose

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

He gained new friends, was admired and had to learn a new culture. This is to provide continuity and relevance, and helps him to give a view on the untold history of Toronto.

Language and people often have barriers to cross, they “br[oke] through [their] chrysalis into language” and by doing so, the structures of their world changes. This kind is symbolical, the nun loses the boundaries and falls over into a new existence. When Patrick sees the loggers skate across ice holding fires, “his mind raced ahead of his body. he has been exposed to a realisation outside of his world. One of the issues deals with the looseness of boundaries, especially the boundaries of stereotype and class, “Gestures, and work and bloodline are the only currency”. This is reflective of the themes, in that history's interpretation can be loosened. ” and even “The first sentence of every novel should be…”. “Meander if you want to get to town”. There” effectively convey a vivid image to the reader. In many examples through the book, Ondaatje lets us see how the “extreme looseness” is carried into role playing.

Even when the book is finished, there is no distinct closure and finality of the narrative; the story itself is in the process of being told.

There is an insinuation throughout the book of the superficiality of constraints.

Approximate Word count = 1215
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.