Theme of Fiction as a Positive Force - in Jonathan Safrans Everything Is Illuminated - Book Report/Review Example

“Everything is Illuminated” The theme of fiction as a positive force as it is explored in Jonathan Safran’s “Everything is Illuminated”. In Jonathan Safran’s “Everything is Illuminated”, there is a deep examination of what happens to the truth when fiction is embraced in addressing the truth from distinct angles. In this novel, meaning is constructed whenever meaning is not available and whenever there is no particular truth to be shared, the situation is fictionalized. Jonathan Safran’s “Everything is Illuminated” also addresses the fine pain of the incapability to say what one intends to say; it illustrates that language itself do not suffice to communicate and contain a determinate meaning. The novel has also presented to the readers the pain resulting from awareness of various meanings that are contained in concepts like life, love, and being. This novel has considerable amount of fiction in it. The theme of fiction is exhibited in the whole novel in various ways. For instance, there are few moments within the narrative and the novel in general that can be taken as unembellished, plain truth. Jonathan Safran and Alex mix fiction with reality in many instances in their writing that makes the novel impossible when trying to identify which is which. The ability to choose and mix these modes shows that the two work from a minimal space between reality and fiction. In this particular point, they are more enthralling and hard to define. Generally, fiction is a positive force in the novel. The ability to generate and clinch on some sort of belief may be more valuable than the reality of the truth. Lista may be pitiable due to her fantasies of a baby, however, her fantasy of having a baby keeps her from collapsing under the weight of the memories she has in the novel. Some of the characters in the novel have an attitude of casting fantasy off in order to face the reality and truth. For instance, Alex becomes a very strong person through admitting her real personality. He did this to Father and Jonathan. The Grandfather, in the novel, can only accept his past when he admits the reality involved. The various incarnations of the words written are, throughout the novel, interspersed. The entire journey of Jonathan is typically based on the caption at the back of the photograph, a tiny sliver of writing. The fiction is dominant in this novel to the extent that the people of Trachimbrod became obsessed with the mentioned writings as if nothing would be true, reality, or official unless it is on paper. The fiction in writing provides a means of cementing memories. An example of the people’s obsession with fiction is the Book of Antecedents, where even the most trivial scenarios are recorded. According to Jonathan Safran’s “Everything is Illuminated”, one can repair their mistakes whenever they perform them. In page 144 of the novel, the author says “I think that this is why I relish writing for you so much. It makes it possible for me to be not like I am, but as I desire for little I get to see me. I can be funny, because I have time to meditate about how to be funny, and I can repair my mistakes when I perform mistakes, and I can be a melancholy person in manners that are interesting, not only melancholy. With writing, we have second chances” (Jonathan, 2012). It is evident that writing does a lot in this novel. For instance, the relationship that exists between Jonathan and Alex throughout the book is based on writing. They never got time to understand each other well during the period in which Jonathan was in Ukraine. The two got deeper connection with one another when they began writing for and to one another. Hence, the quoted statement is true because writing gives people an opportunity to know each other and a second chance to redeem one’s self. This shows that writing gives a second chance to these characters to know and understand each other. In fact Alex’s maturation is witnessed through his writing. In addition, writing makes Alex stronger. This is the point where Alex inserts fiction in his work. At first, he exaggerates wildly in his writing with a lot of pretence, he however developed honesty as the chapters continues. Throughout his writing, as I mentioned earlier, is full of fiction and only absorbs reality of his life when he became honest with himself and stood up to Father. Writing gives Alex a second chance to become honest in his writing. Jonathan Foer in his writing reminds the readers that people exist in the realm of the words merely written through dragging our attention on the written fictional works. The theme of fiction is also witnessed through the concept of illumination. Illumination as used in the novel refers to explanation and clarification. There are a lot of narratives which have been fictionally narrated. For example, Jonathan carries out research about his family so as to see the light in its history. However, the research allows Jonathan to understand both the reality and fiction about his life in a wide context. This is also another situation where writing gives another chance. Writing gave Jonathan another chance to research about his family. It is universal that the couples who make love produce sex light glow. This can be seen from a distant. Jonathan describes fictitious narratives about love in a better part of this novel. This however brings a feeling of enlightenment to the reader of the narratives as well as the whole novel. Illumination in the context of this novel may also mean embellishment. In the novel, fiction has constantly embellished the truth; reality and makes things look more exciting and beautiful. Jonathan and Alex illuminate their stories in a fictional way. Other fictional situations in the novel are shown in the circumstances where love is expressed. For example, the novel gives suggestions that it is very easy to describe what love is really not than the truth about it. Safran is indicated in the novel as having thousands of lovers although he never shown love to any of them. The novel describes love as “not lovemaking”. In fact the statue of Kolker exhibits fiction in the love narrative when he paradoxically tells Jonathan that love is shown through doing things for people we do not love. The novel goes ahead to illustrate that love is closely associated with death and violence. Love can resultantly be a heavy burden, just the way Grandfather saw it. The love he had for his baby and wife made him kill his best friend and resultantly could not love anymore. In summary, the novel has exhibited the theme of fiction in the better part of the whole novel and the narratives. With just a photograph in hand, Safran Jonathan sets out to look for a woman who according to him may have saved, from the Nazis, his grandfather. The fiction is seen in the manner in which the novel proceeds. Jonathan is led, over an overwhelmed landscape, on an unrealistic journey into his unexpected past with the company of amorous dog, Sammy, an old man who is haunted by his memories of war, and Alex. The characters in “Everything is Illuminated” are lit by fear, passion, memory, guilt, and hope due to their fictitious history. The fictional history of the characters move forward as the search goes backwards. This happens until the point where the truth and reality collides with the fiction in the scene that captures the heart with the extraordinary power. The fiction is depicted in the novel as it addresses a narrative concerning a search of places and people, who particularly no longer exists, for the concealed and unseen truth that haunts the families, and for subtle and necessary explanations that link the future with the past. Wise and enthusiastic, deeply moving and excitedly funny, the novel “Everything is Illuminated” is an astounding debut. References Safran, J. (2002). Everything is Illuminated. Ukraine, Prentice. Langer, L. (1975). The Holocaust and the Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale University Press. Birnbaum, R. (2006). Author of Everything is Illuminated talks with Robert Birnbaum. Identity Theory. 03-26. . Fischer, H. (2006). Everything is Illuminated: Transcript of Interview. 02-08. . Miller, L. (2002). Everything is Illuminated' by Jonathan Safran Foer. 02-15. . Read More