At the edge of all light, standing on a cliff above darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing once of two things will happen: there will be something to stand on or you will be able to fly. The novel Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland illustrates one's spiritual identity at the end of all certainly, through the power of religion and storytelling. Coupland concentrates on the aftermath of what it means to survive, and to continue to believe at the edge of your faith. Hey Nostradamus! By Douglas Coupland is four stories united by a single tragic thread. It opens with a Columbine High School-style attack by three students at a fictional Vancouver high school in 1988. the main character Jason is tragically affected by the death of this secret
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Although in his old age he seems to be filled by a desire for a deeper examination of human life. That is clearly evident in his seventh novel Hey Nostradamus! where he eschews his standard formula of dry, cutting and hip humour in favour of a deeply spiritual story. The title Hey Nostradamus! refers to the French astrologer who wrote cryptic predictions whose interpretations are still being debated (1503-1566), his predictions included everything. Coupland names the book Hey Nostradamus! because he touches on all aspects in his novel, from religion, to death to romance. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland is an award winning story that discusses the challenges and strain put on a strong faith though the themes of relationships, love and …show more content…
Death is a horrible thing that no ones wants to encounter but to live is to have doubt, to have faith without doubt is death. Our relationship toward an elusive idea of ‘God’ became another way of ‘coping with reality’ as if the idea of some superior and powerful ‘god’ could give us some ‘extra-strength’ to face ourselves, however often the challenge of death is to much to put on our religion and it breaks. In the beginning of the book it is revealed that Cheryl, Jason's wide and mother of his child, died in his arms. This left Jason distorted and he was never fully able to recover form it. This can bee seen in Jason's letter to himself, “If I've learned anything in twenty-nine years, it's that every human being you see in the course of a day has a problem that's sucking up at least 70 percent of his or her radar. My gift - bad choice of words - is that I can look at you, him, her, them, whoever, and tell right away what is keeping them awake at night: money; feelings of insignificance; overwhelming boredom; evil children; job troubles; or perhaps death, in one of its many costumes, perched in the wings. What surprises me about humanity is that in the end such a narrow range of plights defines our moral lives... I think God is how you deal with everything that's out
Although in his old age he seems to be filled by a desire for a deeper examination of human life. That is clearly evident in his seventh novel Hey Nostradamus! where he eschews his standard formula of dry, cutting and hip humour in favour of a deeply spiritual story. The title Hey Nostradamus! refers to the French astrologer who wrote cryptic predictions whose interpretations are still being debated (1503-1566), his predictions included everything. Coupland names the book Hey Nostradamus! because he touches on all aspects in his novel, from religion, to death to romance. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland is an award winning story that discusses the challenges and strain put on a strong faith though the themes of relationships, love and …show more content…
Death is a horrible thing that no ones wants to encounter but to live is to have doubt, to have faith without doubt is death. Our relationship toward an elusive idea of ‘God’ became another way of ‘coping with reality’ as if the idea of some superior and powerful ‘god’ could give us some ‘extra-strength’ to face ourselves, however often the challenge of death is to much to put on our religion and it breaks. In the beginning of the book it is revealed that Cheryl, Jason's wide and mother of his child, died in his arms. This left Jason distorted and he was never fully able to recover form it. This can bee seen in Jason's letter to himself, “If I've learned anything in twenty-nine years, it's that every human being you see in the course of a day has a problem that's sucking up at least 70 percent of his or her radar. My gift - bad choice of words - is that I can look at you, him, her, them, whoever, and tell right away what is keeping them awake at night: money; feelings of insignificance; overwhelming boredom; evil children; job troubles; or perhaps death, in one of its many costumes, perched in the wings. What surprises me about humanity is that in the end such a narrow range of plights defines our moral lives... I think God is how you deal with everything that's out