Magical Realism:
Ondaatje constantly allows the lines of of fiction and nonfiction to blend together in Running In The Family. Through the inclusion of magical realism, he suggests that any story, notion, or account that is told by another person has the possibility of being a mix of fiction and nonfiction. He forces the audience to question the validity of his statements because he discusses occurrences that only the person involved would know. The magical realist components usually appear while Michael describes the events of Lalla and Mervyn. For instance, Michael details Lalla’s aquatic journey during the flood and mentions exactly how she died in this flood. The blend of fiction and reality also recurs during “Thankimama” Michael’s description …show more content…
Examples of this theme predominantly appears through Mervyn, Doris, and Lalla. Mervyn’s shy, introvert-like personality eventually leads to the severity of his alcoholism. This alcoholism combined with the introvertism ultimately destroys his romantic relationship with Doris, especially since introverts prefer isolation. This becomes ironic at the end of the memoir when Mervyn falls into a depression due to his isolation. Outside of the alcohol, Ondaatje describes Doris as an theatrical, extrovert. It appears that the combination of an introvert and an extrovert lead to miserable marriage. Furthermore, Lalla eccentric and dramatic personality does not have an extensive effect on her relationships, but it does cause her and Mervyn not to get along really well.
Nature: Ondaatje includes nature as a theme to imply that beauty can be seen within anything. Michael consistently includes nature imagery whenever he observes a setting. Nature is composed of a myriad of elements: trees, flowers, soil, animals, the sun and moon, weather, the natural bodies of water, etc. This use of nature as a theme can be related to his family’s unordinary stories and circumstances. People are apart of nature, therefore, beauty can be seen within them, as well.
Section …show more content…
The excessive anecdotes in Running in the Family do involve other family members, but Mervyn Ondaatje and Lalla are the primary subjects of the majority of the tall tales. These anecdotes include: Mervyn’s experience at “college”, his love interests (Doris and Kaye Roseleap), all four of Mervyn's train escapades, the time Lalla hid a murderer, the incident where she allowed the current to sweep her up, the events leading up to her death, and many more. These anecdotes allow Ondaatje to continue studying the history of his family and developing characterization without losing the interest of the
Ondaatje constantly allows the lines of of fiction and nonfiction to blend together in Running In The Family. Through the inclusion of magical realism, he suggests that any story, notion, or account that is told by another person has the possibility of being a mix of fiction and nonfiction. He forces the audience to question the validity of his statements because he discusses occurrences that only the person involved would know. The magical realist components usually appear while Michael describes the events of Lalla and Mervyn. For instance, Michael details Lalla’s aquatic journey during the flood and mentions exactly how she died in this flood. The blend of fiction and reality also recurs during “Thankimama” Michael’s description …show more content…
Examples of this theme predominantly appears through Mervyn, Doris, and Lalla. Mervyn’s shy, introvert-like personality eventually leads to the severity of his alcoholism. This alcoholism combined with the introvertism ultimately destroys his romantic relationship with Doris, especially since introverts prefer isolation. This becomes ironic at the end of the memoir when Mervyn falls into a depression due to his isolation. Outside of the alcohol, Ondaatje describes Doris as an theatrical, extrovert. It appears that the combination of an introvert and an extrovert lead to miserable marriage. Furthermore, Lalla eccentric and dramatic personality does not have an extensive effect on her relationships, but it does cause her and Mervyn not to get along really well.
Nature: Ondaatje includes nature as a theme to imply that beauty can be seen within anything. Michael consistently includes nature imagery whenever he observes a setting. Nature is composed of a myriad of elements: trees, flowers, soil, animals, the sun and moon, weather, the natural bodies of water, etc. This use of nature as a theme can be related to his family’s unordinary stories and circumstances. People are apart of nature, therefore, beauty can be seen within them, as well.
Section …show more content…
The excessive anecdotes in Running in the Family do involve other family members, but Mervyn Ondaatje and Lalla are the primary subjects of the majority of the tall tales. These anecdotes include: Mervyn’s experience at “college”, his love interests (Doris and Kaye Roseleap), all four of Mervyn's train escapades, the time Lalla hid a murderer, the incident where she allowed the current to sweep her up, the events leading up to her death, and many more. These anecdotes allow Ondaatje to continue studying the history of his family and developing characterization without losing the interest of the