Analysis of The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif Novel by Najaf Mazari - Book Report/Review Example

Novel Study [Student’s Name] [Institution Affiliation] Novel Study The novel ‘The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif’ is a narrative of Najaf Mazari account of living with conflict in Afghanistan. Najaf was born in 1971 and his homeland experienced a long history of conflict. Najaf’s tale, impressively told by biographer Robert Hillman, reveals the harsh reality of life in a war zone: Najaf house is blown apart; his two brothers are killed, he lives in constant fear, pursued by violent religion extremists, and flees home and country in a hasty manner to find a safe haven in Australia. It is a story of death, grief, hopelessness, and misery in a conflict stricken community. Najaf account of his life in Afghanistan is not a political tract; it is a deftly crafted testament of the fact that war is a senseless waste of energy, time and sadly of people’s lives: some people survive the conflict while other perish for no reason at all. He says, “War has always been the background to my life and it surely helped to form the way I thought about things,” (Hillman, 2008, p.163). The author representation of Najaf through the extraordinary journey of his life endorses the fact that conflict cannot be resolved by violence –only through perseverance- as shown by the fact that Najaf happiness is linked to the qualities of patience and understanding in the face of conflict. Najaf strong beliefs, hard work, and values help him to survive the emotional and physical trauma caused by conflict. The author best illustrates this through the setting, plot, and character in the story. The author of this story uses a narrative perspective, which enables the reader to learn concurrently about Najaf life in Afghanistan and in Australia. The story is written is the first person to capture the reader attention and to engage them. For instance, Najaf begins his narration by saying, “The Camp is Woomera, or really my small part of Woomera, a section called November. I share November with hundreds of people from I have never visited. Lands that are mysterious to me as my own homeland of Afghanistan is to the guards who keep watch on us day and night” (Hillman, 2008, p. 1). The way the narrative begins gives the reader an image of the narrator living circumstances. It is an opening to the personal costs of war on civilians. It focuses on Najaf personal experience of conflict, with clear details of victories, battles, as well as political movements in the background. By using the first person narration, Najaf shows that the entire community is affected by conflict and people are affected by it in different ways. Through his eyes, the reader learns about the predicament of his family and some other members of the community. There are two interconnected narrative frameworks (past and present) to depict the impact of conflict on individuals long after the actual happenings. The setting of the novel is important to the story as it is used to develop the plot in the novel. The issue of conflict is inherent in the compelling plot of the novel. For Najaf, it is a memory of living with conflict and tolerating its far-reaching consequences. The reader learns of people preoccupation with the hardships and triumphs of ordinary people caught up in war and political unrest. Najaf loses two brothers, an uncle, as well as a cousin. A sniper kills his eldest brother, Gorg Ali, during a battle between the Russians and Mujahedin. His youngest brother, Rosal Ali, is killed in a rocket explosion. Najaf is also injured when a bomb explodes in his house, which affects his rug-making job for a while. In spite of all these horror from the incessant conflict, Najaf manages to flee his homeland and seek refuge in Australia where he gains permanent residency and allowed to be joined by his wife and daughter. Through Najaf’s narration, the reader gets to learn about the numerous impacts of war on individuals and groups, with an emphasis on its societal and psychological costs. Psychological consequences of conflict such as powerlessness and fear are clearly illustrated in the text. Najaf sums up these consequences by saying “In Afghanistan today, it is possible to listen to a story of heartbreak in the morning, hear a more heartbreaking story in the afternoon… It is not that Afghanis have chosen a path of suffering out of madness; no, other people have chosen the path for us,” (Hillman, 2008, p.105). This shows the inevitability of the conflict consequences for the people. The destiny of individuals and the community is no longer in their own hands; it is in the hands of a never-ending war. Some people like Najaf are able to survive conflict and he offers numerous examples of how he survived conflict. He escapes the bomb that destroys their family and he survives the consequences of the conflict. The narrative exposes various experiences, which illustrate Najaf perseverance from Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, he works hard and becomes an apprentice Rugmaker – an occupation that matched his inclination for creativity and hard work. He makes beautiful rugs, which gives him relief from the horrors on incessant conflict around him. In the refugee camp at Woomera, he asks for work to keep from getting bored and is offered work in the refugee camp kitchen. In addition, Najaf maintains a positive attitude towards life and he seeks reprieve in religion. He says, “There is a moment in life of each person when the eye of God ceases from its restless scanning of the plains and rivers and mountains and cities and rests in gaze just on you... And at such a moment, God says, ‘Ah, that’s Najaf; he has found the path I intended for him. I will watch him working for my own pleasure” (Hillman, 2008, p.99). Such strong beliefs, values, attitudes and determination, he survives the conflict and begins a life in Melbourne Australia where he sets up a successful rug-selling business. The author positions the reader to respond to issues foregrounded in the novel through characterization. The author creates a central character –Najaf-in the narrative who conveys information about the ramifications of war. Najaf actions, speech, and thoughts play a major role in conveying to the reader the predicament of the people caught up in an unproductive conflict and the way resilience contributes to survival under such conditions. The reader is positioned to understand that hard work, hope, values, and belief can help individuals to survive conflict as the character portrayed by Najaf in the novel. Through characterization, the author conveys the message that war is disastrous and there are bad times in human lives, and people have to face them bravely and think positively that good times will eventually come. It has also helped to illustrate the extensive personal ramifications of conflicts thoroughly. Najaf is overwhelmed by happiness and appreciation for the apparently impossible things that happened in his life and promises to honor and remember the Afghanis who died from the violent conflicts. Through Najaf narration, the author wants the reader to understand other people experiences who survive and those who do not survive. The effective construction of the character by the author positions the reader to understand that in surviving conflicts, there is need for hope and aspiration. The story by Najaf evokes strong feelings of sympathy for him in the reader and this sentiment places the reader in a position to understand the plight of people in war stricken area like Afghanistan and their refugee status. Najaf’s life experiences in Australia as an asylum seeker and in Afghanistan intensify the reader basic humanity as well as the differences between the lives lived in both contexts. It makes the reader appreciate freedom more as most people take freedom for granted. Najaf portrays the inevitability of the implications of war for the Afghans. He says, “Hope is like a little child who must be cared for and clothed and fed each day, and when hope is destroyed, it is as if the child has died, despite all of the care and love.” Insecurity led to a sense of powerlessness and Najaf recapitulates this by saying ‘this future of learning and gaining greater and greater skill all depended on things that I couldn’t control” (p.154). This depicts the helplessness of people afflicted by war. Through the eyes of Najaf, the reader learns a lot about the culture and history of Afghanistan and what led to the war. Najaf survives the conflicts and he thanks God for it, however numerous other people die. He says, “Not all of us were able to survive the wars of Afghanistan…impossible things have happened…. Dreams that were dreamt in Afghanistan have put down roots in the soil of another nation, and today I see buds forming on twigs and branches.” (p. 248). In this manner, the author positions the reader to learn to hope from Najaf, an ideal and outstanding person who put useless anger and grief aside and survived a war stricken country. Although this narrative relates to the conflict, the real details of every war are in the background of the narrative. The main concern of the text is with the people who endeavor to live ordinary lives while a war they did not want and did not start rages around. The author makes Najaf a spectator in Afghanistan violent conflict and through him; he demonstrates that some people survive the physical, social, and psychological consequences of war. Najaf escapes and eventually flourishes in his new home in Australia. Through characterization, the author also shows that people are not necessarily brutalized or hardened by conflict encounters. Najaf remains a peaceful man although he experiences so much conflict. The author also portrays an individual experience of conflict as the conflict in Afghanistan affects people differently: there are those who die and those who survive. The author enables the readers to understand the fate of most refugees as they seek asylum. He also offers hope and encouragement for people not to give up when faced with conflict. The novel through the main character introduces the problems of people and communities in war stricken areas and refugees. It also positions the reader to comprehend the day-to-day life, the culture and relationships in tribe and families and the external evil of religious fanatism, which destroys families and communities. Reference Hillman, R. (2008). The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif: A Memoir of Najaf Mazari. Australia: Insight Publications Pty Ltd. Read More