Symbolism In David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas

In David Mitchell’s novel, Cloud Atlas, we see a series of six stories. As we read these stories we began to see that each of them were connected to each other in one way or another. We began to read deeper into things, like what certain objects in the novel represented, if they had a deeper meaning than just being presented to the reader. Specifically in the very first and last parts of the novel we are introduced to is The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing. In this story we see Mr. Ewing go through sickness, mostly caused by poison from a man whom he believed to be his friend. Through this we find an underlying theme of power. This theme is connected to so many things throughout the novel, but it is extremely clear in Adam Ewing’s story. Through …show more content…
In Cloud Atlas’s first story, The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing, the first image we're introduced to is Dr. Henry Goose digging on a beach for teeth. He explains that "Teeth, sir, are the enameled grails of the quest in hand. In days gone by this Arcadian strand was a cannibals’ banqueting hall, yes, where the strong engorged themselves on the weak. The teeth, they spat out, as you or I would expel cherry stones. But these base molars, sir shall be transmuted to gold..." (Mitchell 3). This small, strange event shows us that Henry Goose is not above profiting from a little human suffering. He doesn’t really seem to care that the people that these teeth came from were eaten by cannibals, he’s only worried about the profit he’ll make from them. How much more greedy can you get than making money off of dead people's teeth? It’s interesting how far some people will go if they want something bad enough. Nothing is as it seems in Cloud Atlas at first glance. The protagonists filter through the lies and deception of other characters in repeated patterns like Dr. Goose’s betrayal of Ewing. Lies, misdirection, and corruption litter the novel, and no matter their motivation, each deception tarnished the soul of the character in some capacity. We see that Dr. Goose’s deception was motivated by greed when he reveals …show more content…
Power can come in many forms including money, greed, prejudice, and dominance. The dominance of one person or group over another is most commonly driven by power. There is domination through violence, dominance of the mind, and dominance through deception. It is the subtle instances of dominance by deception that make the most impact on the characters in the novel. Goose’s betrayal leaves Ewing reeling and unable to rebound without intervention. The combination of dominance by violence, mental manipulation, and deception is most apparent in slavery. This is the largest form of domination of one group over another, this is shown through the enslavement of the peaceful Moriori by the cruel Maori. “The earliest transgressors were executed in gruesome ways & the survivors lived in that state of lethargy engendered by relentless subjugation”(Mitchell 31), it’s obvious that slavery is in no way easy to break out of, but change takes action and Ewing realized this when he was recovering from Goose’s poisoning. He saw a bond between children of a mixed race culture and decided to become an abolitionist in San Francisco “because I owe my life to a self-freed slave & because I must begin somewhere”(Mitchell 508), he hoped for the outcome of a better world for his son to be a part of. Ewing knew that there would be few on his side including his father-in-law, who believed that certain