Ondaatje's In The Skin Of A Lion

I agree to a great extent that Ondaatje’s ‘In the Skin of a Lion’ has a continuing appeal because of the unheard voices presented in the novel. Ondaatje allows his audience to have individualised responses to the unheard voices by rejecting the role of a typical omnipresent narrator, who would tell the story from one point of view. By doing this, Ondaatje allows his audience to take control over the way they interpret the text, allowing them to have unique opinions regarding the issues raised throughout the novel.

Ondaatje’s purpose was to awaken his responders to the injustices of history. Ondaatje used his authorial intervention to make use of his fragmented plot, shifting perspectives and intertwining stories to challenge his audience …show more content…
The ability to successfully communicate sometimes resembled the delicate balance between life and death. This is demonstrated to the audience in the chapter ‘The Bridge’. “Talk, you must talk.” This first person didactic language is the first verbal form of communication performed by Temelcoff, who until this point has remained silent. Temelcoff faces death if he does not alarm those above him that he and the nun are hanging below. A Marxist reader may interpret this as Ondaatje proposing that those without a voice are left to die. This would mean that people without a voice, such as the workers, are left behind in …show more content…
Ultimately, the novel develops and maintains appeal due to Ondaatje’s ability to present the viewpoints of individuals not heard within traditional forms or narrative. It is Ondaatje’s ability to make his responders develop an emotional connection to his characters, forcing them into developing feelings that mature into interest and allure to the unheard voices in the novel, that ‘In the Skin of a Lion’ has a continuing