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Submitted by Jennifer Kuchinka
Submitted to Dr. M.A. Wigmore
Submitted for English 1
Nov.5/001
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Epigraphs That Leave a Mark on our Hearts and Minds
An epigraph is a motto or quotation at that the beginning of a literary composition, setting forth a theme for the reader. The first quotation in Michael Ondaatje's, "In the Skin of a Lion," is in reference to the Epic Of Gilgamesh and it states, "The joyful will stoop with sorrow and when you have gone to the earth I will let my hair grow long for your sake, I will wander through the wilderness in the skin of a lion." The second by John Berger states, "Never again will a single story be told as though it were the only one." Both these quotations leave the reader with a focus for the work as we are given a chance to glimpse into many people's lives, feeling their heartache, pain and the sorrow of a world that isn't always just.
The first quotation directly relates to the story of Patrick Lewis in many ways according to the Epic of Gilgamesh. The mesoptamian Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest and most moving stories rooted in the ancient widom-tradition of mankind. Gilgamesh was a historical king that built the city of Uruk in Babylonia. He was two-thirds god and one third human. The Epic of Gilgamesh consists of 1 tablets all describing the moral dilemma's and the journeys that Gilgamesh endured. One particular tablet describes Gilgamesh's mourning for his dear friend Enkidu.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu were devoted friends that helped each other, listened to each other and grew stronger as each day passed. Sadly though, Enkidu, had crossed the gods and their vengenance was on his head. He was eventually killed leaving Gilgamesh in despair and mourning. After his death, Gilgamesh's life fell apart. He did not bathe or leave his house; his heart at the loss of his beloved friend in despair beyond belief. He orders all of creation to always mourn and remember his dear friend and even builds a monument in Enkidu's name. Shortly after the death of his friend, he is offered a chance at immortality. He sets out on a perilous journey and listens to the gods as they outline the conditions of recieving immortality. Gilgamesh must stay awake for 7 days and 7 nights. He falls asleep, falling short of his goal similar to Patrick, thoughts of his friend never far from his mind.
Both Gilgamesh and Patrick find someone to bring meaning to their lives. In Michael Ondaatje's story we are introduced to Patrick Lewis, a man searching for love and meaning in his life. Patrick meets Alice, a woman that he had met through Clara. After suffering the pain of losing Clara, Patrick looks for meaning and depth to his life. Unexpectedly, Alice drops into his life and just as suddenly disappears. Shortly after they are reunited and begin to build a relationship that will devestatingly end too soon.
In a chaotic world, where one has to struggle to make ends meet, Patrick and Alice begin to build a relationship together on the foundation of love. Not only do they connect, sexually, but also spiritually and emotionally sharing intimate moments and discussions. In one discussion, Alice speaks of "the grand cause." "He knows he will never forget a word or gesture of hers tonight, in this doll-house of a room." (15) As the days go on, Patrick grows closer and closer to Alice. "He was restless and full of Alice Gull." (1) Just as Gilgamesh's relationship eventually strengthens with Enkidu, as each day passes Patrick lets Alice become more and more his entire life.
At the hands of someone else, both Gilgamesh and Patrick lose someone special to them and are faced with a world of sorrow and pain. "Now he aches for her smallness, her intricacy-he needs a second glance whenever he thinks of her. Now he aches for her, for those days that belonged to the moon." (15) Patrick begins to recall the good and bad times that he had with Alice, knowing that never again will he be able to hold her. He is frightened similar to Gilgamesh that the memory of his loved one will fade away. "He knows he doesn't have long before he loses the exact memory of her face." (16)
Similar to Gilgamesh, Patrick has a lot of pent-up rage and emotions that he does not know how to deal with. Gilgamesh sets out on a perilous journey looking for immortality, angered at the gods who at their hands has taken his dear friend's life. Patrick also feels he must revenge against others. Patrick's first attack on a hotel puts him in jail, where his raging emotions only fester. After being released from jail, Patrick decides to attack the Waterworks plant. Patrick finally opens up and explains the details of Alice's death to Rowland, as he stands before him with explosives strapped to his chest. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," Patrick says to Rowland. "Then it will always be a nightmare," he replies. "It will always be a nightmare, Harris." () Therefore, it is apparent that Ondaatje wanted us to focus on Patrick's mourning for Alice as well as our own mourning for ones we have loved and lost.
The second quotation, "never again will a single story be told as though it were the only one," also leaves us with a focus for the novel. In the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Patrick but throughout the novel we are also given a chance to glimpse into Clara, Alice, Caravaggio, Nicholas and Rowland Harris' lives. The framework of the novel is Patrick telling Hana the story of her mother as they drive to pick up Clara. He tells a story about a nun falling off a bridge and being rescued, a millionaire missing with a heavy reward on his head, and a thief whose companion is a dog. But more importantly then the exact details of the stories is the connection between them all.
Patrick makes it clear to Hana that each of these stories are connected as they drive to pick up Clara. He talks about how Nicholas had rescued Alice from falling off the bridge. "The man in mid-air under the central arch saw the shape fall towards him, in that second knowing his rope would not hold them both." (1) Patrick and Hana both know very, little about Alice's life at this time. Patrick and Hana are left with many open-ended questions at this time because they are not clear of Alice's choice to lead such a different life. In this portion of the novel, we are also introduced to a dreamer, Rowland Harris, who is the mastermind of most of the buildings and operations in Toronto at this time, who we later learn is also connected to the story.
Patrick also tells about how he came to Toronto and began to take on the task of searching for Ambrose Small, a vanished millionaire with a heavy reward on his head. He tells Hana, how he met Clara, Ambrose's mistress and Alice's best friend. "Clara Dickens knew him best, they told him. She was the rare lover." (60) Patrick tells Hana how he falls in love with Clara and how she eventually leaves him to be with Ambrose. Patrick goes on to describe how Alice finally comes back into his life. He then reminds Hana of the happy life that they had once shared for a short time in a world where they were the only three that existed.
Patrick also dedicates some of his story to Caravaggio, the charismatic thief who he comes in contact with. He explains to Hana, how he is distraught with sorrow and despair after the death of her mother and with the help of Caravaggio destroys a hotel. He tells her about his experiences in jail with Caravaggio and the fateful night when Caravaggio was nearly killed. Replying to Hana's questions of prison and the friends he has made, he tells her about Caravaggio. "He was a thief. Some people tried to cut his throat in jail" (1.)
Finally Patrick tells Hana the ending and the near-fatal destruction of the Waterworks plant, connecting all the stories together and bringing the reader to the present. Ondaatje obviously feels that the reader should focus somewhat on how each story has many more stories that must be told in order to understand that particular story. One quotation in particular also describes when Patrick came to the understanding that he was part of this intricate web of stories. "His own life was no longer a single story but part of a mural, which was a falling together of accomplices. Patrick saw a wondrous night web-all of these fragments of a human order, something ungoverned by the family he was born into or the headlines of the day. A nun on a bridge, a daredevil who was unable to sleep without drink, a boy watching a fire from his bed at night, an actress who ran away with a millionaire-the detritus and chaos of the age was realigned." (145)
Once reading, Michael Ondaatje's, "In the Skin of a Lion," the reader understands just how the quotations are significant to the novel. It makes the reader also take a look at their own lives and reflect on the mourning process that everyone must endure at one point in their lives. It makes us realize the web of stories that must be told in order to understand one particular story. Perhaps, we have to read the entire novel before we can fully understand just why Michael Ondaatje chose to introduce this novel with two moving, epigraphs. Either way, the reader like Hana is given a glimpse into the lives of all these people who will ultimately leave a mark in their hearts and minds, even after the last page is turned.
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