'How To Read Literature Like A Father'

In real life, a distinguishing physical attribute such as a scar or mark can reveal an aspect of the bearer’s history. A crooked nose recounts the time when a throw went astray in little league. A veteran with a missing limb lets his or her injury speak for itself about the brutality of war and the sacrifice soldiers make for their country. A blotch of old frostbite brings back memories of long winter adventures. Markings can tell stories without even using words. In literature, however, scars, marks, and deformities speak louder than they do in the reality because writers often use them as symbols. Unlike real-world wounds, writers can manipulate what a character’s injury expresses to the reader. English professor and author, Thomas Foster, discusses the importance of bodily markings as symbols in his book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor. When a piece of literature introduced …show more content…
Foster’s claims are reflected in several pieces of literature including
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, in which Julián Carax’s burns make an indirect statement about his character, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, in which Hassan’s harelip ties the novel’s plot together, and Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, in which the slaves’ scars make a political statement about the inhumanity of slavery.
In The Shadow of the Wind, Julián Carax sustains burns that emphasize his life and emotions. Throughout the novel, Julián’s life was full of sorrows. He was an illegitimate child who was despised by his mother’s husband, he was