Change in David Maloufs Ransom - Essay Example

David Malouf’s ‘Ransom’ is centered upon two main characters, Priam and Achilles, who in the middle of the war at Troy are confronted with events that transform their personalities before the eventual fall of the city.

Malouf refers to him as a fearless warrior and a great military general “With his whole terrible machinery” (Malouf, p.199). Apart from being a great warrior and a great military general, Achilles is also an arrogant and self-absorbed person with no respect for authority. He is thus described as, “wolf, a violator of every law of gods and men,” (Malouf, p.58). However, this attitude changes when he first encounters the humble figure of Priam. Instead of seeing the enemy and the father of the Man who had slain his best friend, Patroclus, he sees a grieving father who was willing to sacrifice his life in order to give his son a proper burial. He sees Priam as a grieving father in a scene that reminds him of his own son back at home, whom he had not seen for years. This moment is captured succinctly by Malouf when Achilles reflects on his longing for his son whom he had not seen for many years. This love for his son is captured by the statement, “a sore spot whose ache he has long repressed” (Malouf, p.183). It is this moment that transforms Achilles from the vengeful and dangerous person that he had become, to the calm and reasonable person that empathized with Priam. It is this reasonableness that leads Achilles to accept the ransom from Priam in exchange for the release of Hector’s body. This change does not escape Priam, who inwardly observes that “the true Achilles, the one he has come all this way to find,” (Malouf, p.190).

The theme of change is also illustrated by Priam’s desire to change how he wants to be remembered after his death. He wants not to be remembered as a king or the mighty ruler of Troy, but rather as a father of great compassion who risked his life in order to give his son, a hero of Troy, a decent and honorable burial befitting his demise. This is evidenced by him going to great lengths to conceal his identity, and head to the enemy’s camp to negotiate a ransom with Achilles so that the body of his son could be released to him for proper burial. This desire to change his perception from that of an ordinary king is highlighted by his reflection of how he would want his subjects to view him. He thus reasons that he needs to perform new and innovative activities too, “stand forever as proof of what I was” (Malouf, p.90).

Change is also evidenced through Priam’s journey with Somax to the Greek camp in search of Achilles. While Priam is battling with the struggle to bring about meaning into his life and achieve balance, Somax takes pride in the enjoyment of the little things in life such as the enjoyment of good food, playing with children, and cooling his feet after a long drive (Malouf, p.120). It is this interaction of Premium with Somax that plays an important role in changing some of Priam’s understanding of life by teaching to enjoy the little things in life and how to develop simple emotions such as love for family. It is these examples that help in advancing change as a dominant theme in the novel.