“It screamed downward, splitting air and sky without effort. A target expanded in size brought into focus by time and velocity. There was a moment before impact that was the last instant of things as they were. Then the visible world exploded” (Galloway, p.1). This is how the novel The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway opens. In a small city overtaken by war, the citizen’s lives are completely changed. The author expresses the harsh social conditions of the siege of Sarajevo and how war can completely change the way of life. Galloway conveys the hardships endured through the characters beliefs, through the symbols and through the themes. Galloway presents the impacts of war on the characters through their own beliefs. Each main character
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He didn't help the man look, or look himself, or even think about looking... Fear has paralyzed him as surely as a bullet to the spine, and he simply doesn't have what it takes to go back. Shame soaks through him." (167-168) Kenan believes the fact that he started telling himself jokes when he was nervous and scared for his life is something to be ashamed of. He started comparing himself to his friend, Ismet, who had fought on the front lines. It was an innocent thought that was his way of taking his mind off the danger that constantly surrounded him. It affected his identity because it made him question his strength as well as whom he was becoming as a result of the …show more content…
As Dragan walks through the city he gives a haunting description of a city in ruins; "Everything around him is grey. He's not sure where it came from, if it was always there and the war has simply stripped away the color that hid it, or if this grey is the color of war" (201). Grey represents the true devastation of Sarajevo. The city was entirely changed by the events, which followed war. After a fire destroys some significant landmarks of Sarajevo the people truly feel hopeless. The loss of the theater and the library, which were so important to the history of the city, devastates the residents. These buildings, and everything they held were turned to ash, so now all the characters can see is dull, lifeless shades of grey. What was once a city so full of life is now dying all around the characters, which is
He didn't help the man look, or look himself, or even think about looking... Fear has paralyzed him as surely as a bullet to the spine, and he simply doesn't have what it takes to go back. Shame soaks through him." (167-168) Kenan believes the fact that he started telling himself jokes when he was nervous and scared for his life is something to be ashamed of. He started comparing himself to his friend, Ismet, who had fought on the front lines. It was an innocent thought that was his way of taking his mind off the danger that constantly surrounded him. It affected his identity because it made him question his strength as well as whom he was becoming as a result of the …show more content…
As Dragan walks through the city he gives a haunting description of a city in ruins; "Everything around him is grey. He's not sure where it came from, if it was always there and the war has simply stripped away the color that hid it, or if this grey is the color of war" (201). Grey represents the true devastation of Sarajevo. The city was entirely changed by the events, which followed war. After a fire destroys some significant landmarks of Sarajevo the people truly feel hopeless. The loss of the theater and the library, which were so important to the history of the city, devastates the residents. These buildings, and everything they held were turned to ash, so now all the characters can see is dull, lifeless shades of grey. What was once a city so full of life is now dying all around the characters, which is