İskoç Gelini - Lynsay Sands itibaren Yabancı Yayınları içinde LIT biçim

Rubén Zagon zagonkeko — Everyone at some point in their life wishes to find something about their past whether it be a story or finding an ancestor they never knew about. Nevertheless our past shapes the way we make decisions and ultimately determines whom we are. Jonathan Safran Foer’s, Everything is Illuminated, tells the fascinating story of an American Jewish man named Jonathan who is on his way to search for the woman who supposedly saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Foer eloquently pastes together an imaginative journey, showing that the actual experiences and relationships formed during the search through ones past can be more enriching than the final and wished result. Jonathan’s first and main relationship with Alex, his Ukrainian translator blossoms through the retelling of their journeys and letters, forming a bond that is perhaps greater than the friendship Jonathan could have formed with Augustine, his grandfather’s savior. When Jonathan unravels the past with Alex he connects with Alex in a way that is almost brotherly. When Alex recounts the shocking story of his Grandfather’s relations with Jonathan’s deceased relatives he notes to Jonathan, “I must inform you, Jonathan, that I am a very sad person… Perhaps I am lucky” (Foer 227). This is not the only time that Alex shares a personal and emotional feeling with him, but it reveals that Alex and Jonathan have become so close to the point where they feel they can confide in each other and understand each other in a way that does not to be written. This makes the reader feel drawn into their relationship, almost as if along the way, they too have become friends with Jonathan and Alex. Jonathan forms a friendship with Alex, and even though it may not last, it is an indelible friendship full of pain and happiness that will influence his future. Another similar case is the story behind Jonathan and Alex’s grandfather, which creates a link that alters the entire journey and story, engaging the reader into the darker side of the seemingly comedic air of the book. I feel their relationship is more memorable than that of Jonathan’s meeting with the false Augustine and it certainly changes Jonathan’s perspective on the whole result of his discoveries. At the very end of the book, Alex’s grandfather writes a very poignant letter explaining to Jonathan that he will have committed suicide by the time he reads the letter. He writes, “Do you understand? I am complete with happiness, and it is what I must do, and I will do it. Do you understand me? I will walk…. And I will” (Foer 276) Alex’s grandfather’s means he is content with life and willing and ready to leave. He believes that without finding Augustine he has no motivation to live anymore, implying that he feels he has fulfilled his purpose on earth. This heartfelt moment makes the reader shocked, uncomfortable, and somber but it is real and it evokes feelings that others can relate to, even if it is just one moment of sadness or surprise that at first has little significance. I think this shows the deep connection, which the two have made, and how the experiences Jonathan has witnessed along the way have touched him in places he would not have expected. Foer’s portrayal of Jonathan’s discoveries is uniquely told in three different views. It supports the multitude of events occurring throughout the book that shape Jonathan’s reactions and relationships. These bonds are ultimately the true message in the book. Jonathan will always have the facts that his family was saved by a woman named Augustine, but his friendships along the way are more rich and vivid than the final result. Foer makes the journey come to life, taking the reader along with him, with his eccentric characters and lexicon that appeals to the senses, creating an underlying meaning that illuminates the true meaning of family and friends and the support that they bring.

Yulizavetta Den _ulizavetta — A true classic, this book has more allusions and critical analysis possible than most books (with the obvious exception of The Crying of Lot 49). It also happens to be a most melancholy love story, and begs the question of exactly who we all are when we happen to forget ourselves.