Tuesday, April 6, 2010
What is the What?
There are so many ironies in this book. One, the Lost Boys of Sudan "Prey" on the conscience and sympathies of Americans as they were preyed upon by the SPLA and the government of Sudan. Two on page 26 we find out Valentino is being "Guarded" by an African American boy, a soldier of sorts rather like himself. It is no wonder he feels a kinship to this "TV Boy" Michael. This term of endearment makes Valentino's experience surreal, like an American TV show. Three on page 27 Sudanese men are moving from the great plains of Africa to the Great Plains of America. In addition the Sudanese men are working in the cattle industry slaughtering cattle after escaping a similar horrific threat. In Sudan, many of these Lost boys ended up killing Sudanese people. And some were guarding cattle or goat that was stolen from their fathers by the Baggara. Is this not in some distorted way a "Mirror world" of sorts? How are we so "Different" from one another anyway?
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As I read the few chapter of this book I didn’t like the part when it went back and forth from the robbery and his life back. However, as I read more I went on this book gave a feeling of sensibility. I guess because he talks about how life is hard for him he has two jobs and is not barely money regardless. After it gets to the part when his apartment is getting robbed he talks about how the powder and woman are doing this. They are suppose to be their “own” why would why one black African American rob to another African American. It does sound wrong to do it but since its in the states and they are not back home what makes it okay .
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ReplyDeleteAll the novels seems to me a world closing in upon us, whether Africans in Sudan in the "What is the What" the young boys and hardship that they endured, in this case, only the fittest will survived. Or whether it is Michel in "Platform" living in an isolented world, not too many social interactions or contact and life is slipping quickly by without much excitement for life except visiting peep shows or massage parlours or all inclusive (women availablity) vacations. Or Casey alone, hoping from place to place looking for the new trend, but anything else outside her life is pretty empty, this can be said for James in the "The Names" who chases after info but at the same time ponders about his life with his separate spouse and son very much in his thoughts every day. They all lived or travel around the global world. However, the world can feel small for millions of people experience all sorts of ups and downs in their lives, just some more with tramas, tragies, violence, etc. Then at one point we all come together, for example in a train, if one was to start talking and share each other experience thereby strinking the world small into a train carriage.
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