The Resemblance of Water and the Identity of the Main Character in “The Character of Rain”
“The Character of Rain”, by Amélie Nothomb, describes the world as being perceived by a three-year-old child, born in a Belgium family. This interesting novel encompasses the beliefs of the Japanese who deem that every infant is an “Okosama” or the “lord of child”, until the age of three. Growing up amidst the Japanese culture, the narrator decides to adopt this philosophical Japanese theory. To her own fascinating personal discovery, she believes that the oceans, seas, pools, puddles, ponds and rain resemble her godlike Japanese character for her name “Rain” and her amphibious life. From the novel, the narrator reveals that water helps her to unveil …show more content…
The narrator enthralls the readers with the term “God” every time she wants to refer to herself. Earlier after she is born, the narrator discovers that “a child is a god from birth .to the age he goes to nursery school” (47). Based on her solemn observation, her close acquaintance, especially Nishio-san has been treating her benevolently like a divinity. Her determination of acknowledging herself as a God brings her to the point that everybody has to believe; she is so prominent to her to the community as a “lord of child”, that has a relation to aquatic components. A part of the narrator suggests that she is an “it”, denying the evident fact that she is actually an “I”. Based on the novel, she recalls the moment when the “Water [is] beneath [her], water above [her], water in [her]- [she is] water” (94). Her misanthropic belief breaks down her physical and psychological boundary that separates herself from the rest of the nature and the cosmos. When she is frantically drowning in the deep sea, the salty water enters her lungs as she inhales underwater. Literally, it seems like the water has permeated her body and thus, demolishes the boundary that distinguishes her identity with God. From the quote, the narrator emphasizes that “[she] is water” and therefore, she is …show more content…
According to the narrator, “[She] went out into the sea and begin to walk straight ahead, toward Korea, and found out that the water wasn’t getting any deeper. [She] mysteriously caused the sea floor to rise up” (58). From her perspective, she speculates that the water is putting her in high esteem and giving her an empowerment to break her limits as a human being. Even though walking on foot in the deep ocean en route the Asian countries seems nonsensical, the narrator has mustered of all her trust to brave through what the sea has offered. She is overwhelmed because the sea seems to allow her to do what she wants. In other words, she is hypnotized by the privilege of having the ability to take control of her surroundings. However, she is oblivious to the fact that she is actually living in her own imaginations and thoughts. She is showered with pleasure to be as powerful as God until she loses herself in the deep
“The Character of Rain”, by Amélie Nothomb, describes the world as being perceived by a three-year-old child, born in a Belgium family. This interesting novel encompasses the beliefs of the Japanese who deem that every infant is an “Okosama” or the “lord of child”, until the age of three. Growing up amidst the Japanese culture, the narrator decides to adopt this philosophical Japanese theory. To her own fascinating personal discovery, she believes that the oceans, seas, pools, puddles, ponds and rain resemble her godlike Japanese character for her name “Rain” and her amphibious life. From the novel, the narrator reveals that water helps her to unveil …show more content…
The narrator enthralls the readers with the term “God” every time she wants to refer to herself. Earlier after she is born, the narrator discovers that “a child is a god from birth .to the age he goes to nursery school” (47). Based on her solemn observation, her close acquaintance, especially Nishio-san has been treating her benevolently like a divinity. Her determination of acknowledging herself as a God brings her to the point that everybody has to believe; she is so prominent to her to the community as a “lord of child”, that has a relation to aquatic components. A part of the narrator suggests that she is an “it”, denying the evident fact that she is actually an “I”. Based on the novel, she recalls the moment when the “Water [is] beneath [her], water above [her], water in [her]- [she is] water” (94). Her misanthropic belief breaks down her physical and psychological boundary that separates herself from the rest of the nature and the cosmos. When she is frantically drowning in the deep sea, the salty water enters her lungs as she inhales underwater. Literally, it seems like the water has permeated her body and thus, demolishes the boundary that distinguishes her identity with God. From the quote, the narrator emphasizes that “[she] is water” and therefore, she is …show more content…
According to the narrator, “[She] went out into the sea and begin to walk straight ahead, toward Korea, and found out that the water wasn’t getting any deeper. [She] mysteriously caused the sea floor to rise up” (58). From her perspective, she speculates that the water is putting her in high esteem and giving her an empowerment to break her limits as a human being. Even though walking on foot in the deep ocean en route the Asian countries seems nonsensical, the narrator has mustered of all her trust to brave through what the sea has offered. She is overwhelmed because the sea seems to allow her to do what she wants. In other words, she is hypnotized by the privilege of having the ability to take control of her surroundings. However, she is oblivious to the fact that she is actually living in her own imaginations and thoughts. She is showered with pleasure to be as powerful as God until she loses herself in the deep