Symbolism In Steven Galloway's The Cellist Of Sarajevo

To properly discern the influence of literature, critique of the author’s writing style is entirely crucial. While content and plot are too influential, it is truly the way the author chooses to incorporate character, feeling, and symbolism that make a piece of literature worthwhile. Steven Galloway’s novel The Cellist of Sarajevo is focused on three main characters: Dragan, Arrow, and Kenan. Each is struggling to maintain hold of the hope of the Sarajevo they knew and loved one day returning. Though they are each individually distinct, they each recover a lost sense of optimism after listening to the awe-inspiring cellist. Throughout the tragic devastation that occurred during the Bosnian war in 1992, the audience is e3ffectively hooked on each individuals triumphs and struggles as …show more content…
Galloway’s novel is divided into four parts, each with distinct sections that are narrated by each of the characters. Arrow, formerly known as Alisa, is a morally-conflicted sniper who fights to maintain her sense of self through the missions assigned to her. During the novel, the audience is introduced to the individual aspects of each character, and how opposite they truly are. One example of this can be seen when Arrow is wishing she could be closer to the fighting: “The day goes slowly. She hears heavy shelling to the west, in the direction of Dobrinja and Mojmilo. A part of her wishes she could be there” (Galloway 151). Through this quote it is possible for one to make the most imperative distinction between Arrow and the other characters: the fact that she wishes to be in the fighting, instead of avoiding it. In contrast, Kenan is a cowardly family man who can never quite bring himself to help: “There are those who ran away as soon as the shells fell, their instinct for self-preservation stronger than their sense of altruism or civic duty. There are those who didn’t run, who are now covered in the blood