There are books that will be forgotten immediately you close the last page. Others will have a lasting impact on your reading career years down the line. Behind the Blue Curtain is a marvelous title by Steven Millhauser. It features a young boy as the protagonist and opens as the boy makes a trip to the movie theater. He is usually accompanied by the father for these Saturday night movies but this time it is different.
The boy seeks to set own path by going beginning to go the movies alone. This unique path is also exemplified by his hunger for enlightenment and higher knowledge instead of material possessions. In fact, this boy appears to be way ahead of his peers in his actions and the things he seeks.
The narrative style used by the author makes it easy for readers to relate with the experience of this boy. It is told in first person, bringing to live the story as though it is happening now or you are hearing it as a narrative as opposed to reading. The challenges and quest of this main character are easy to relate to. According to the narrator, he feels as though the father is hiding something or being protective. This signifies a boy on a mission.
The author is not straightforward on where the book is set. However, descriptions indicate that the events take place in summer. Most of these events also happen in the theater and in a period somewhere in the twentieth century. While the protagonist is a young boy, nothing in this narrative makes it sound like the flip flop boyhood narratives.
A spin to the story happens when a woman appears. She is described as a Mirror Reflection. This is a smart stylistic approach considering that mirrors are associated with showing identical images yet these images are reversed. The woman displays similarity to the main character yet is a perfect opposite of him to some extent. That is conflict right there. The author has mastered his literary stylistics.
Conflict in the narrative is pronounced as one is placed in a tricky position where you have to choose whether to live in the hidden past or embrace the new knowledge already acquired. A part of the protagonist has to die since he has acquired new knowledge. His is signified in him sleeping at the office of the janitor and waking up in a dream.
The theme of transformation is perfectly explored in his desire to shed boyhood ignorance and gain knowledge or light. The author uses the image of light and walking through the candelabras to signify this transformation. The writer has also perfectly developed his characters especially the description given to this boy. The reader has a clear picture of who he or she is dealing with and can judge the actions of this boy in the required fashion.
Steven has done a great job in the story because it is easy for readers to relate. The curiosity in the boy existed in everyone at a certain point but is rewarded with knowledge and enlightenment. This is a story that everyone around the world can relate and also makes an excellent academic piece.
The boy seeks to set own path by going beginning to go the movies alone. This unique path is also exemplified by his hunger for enlightenment and higher knowledge instead of material possessions. In fact, this boy appears to be way ahead of his peers in his actions and the things he seeks.
The narrative style used by the author makes it easy for readers to relate with the experience of this boy. It is told in first person, bringing to live the story as though it is happening now or you are hearing it as a narrative as opposed to reading. The challenges and quest of this main character are easy to relate to. According to the narrator, he feels as though the father is hiding something or being protective. This signifies a boy on a mission.
The author is not straightforward on where the book is set. However, descriptions indicate that the events take place in summer. Most of these events also happen in the theater and in a period somewhere in the twentieth century. While the protagonist is a young boy, nothing in this narrative makes it sound like the flip flop boyhood narratives.
A spin to the story happens when a woman appears. She is described as a Mirror Reflection. This is a smart stylistic approach considering that mirrors are associated with showing identical images yet these images are reversed. The woman displays similarity to the main character yet is a perfect opposite of him to some extent. That is conflict right there. The author has mastered his literary stylistics.
Conflict in the narrative is pronounced as one is placed in a tricky position where you have to choose whether to live in the hidden past or embrace the new knowledge already acquired. A part of the protagonist has to die since he has acquired new knowledge. His is signified in him sleeping at the office of the janitor and waking up in a dream.
The theme of transformation is perfectly explored in his desire to shed boyhood ignorance and gain knowledge or light. The author uses the image of light and walking through the candelabras to signify this transformation. The writer has also perfectly developed his characters especially the description given to this boy. The reader has a clear picture of who he or she is dealing with and can judge the actions of this boy in the required fashion.
Steven has done a great job in the story because it is easy for readers to relate. The curiosity in the boy existed in everyone at a certain point but is rewarded with knowledge and enlightenment. This is a story that everyone around the world can relate and also makes an excellent academic piece.
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