mardi 13 novembre 2018

Summary Review Of Behind The Blue Curtain

By Laura Wallace


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.

At the age of the protagonist, boys love the company of their fathers. The main character sets himself apart by deciding to make the journey alone. His aim is to get enlightenment instead of going for material wealth that characterizes the desires of many boys at this age. The courage and curiosity displayed make this boy different from most of his peers.

The method of narration makes it easier for a reader to identify with the story that this boy is giving. The narrative is told in first person. It is as if the reader is listening to a narration from the boy and not actually reading a book. This makes it easier to identify with his quest and challenges along this path. It is him who says that he feels like his father is trying to protect him. This immediately trikes the reader as a boy in pursuit of own agenda.

The setting remains a matter of deduction. We are not told when or where. However, you can tell that it is summer of some year in the twentieth century. The choice of movie theater as a setting also helps to build the idea of existence of a mystery behind curtains. While the main character is a young boy, the author is not exploring boyhood fantasies. The themes perfectly target an adult audience.

A woman appears midway and is described as a reflection, to add a twist to the tale. The emphasis on mirrors by Steven is exemplary and stylistically ingenious. Though the boy and the woman portray conflicting personalities, their personalities and fate reflect on each other. There are similarities that are stylistically positioned to point at Mirror Reflections as a hidden literary image.

There is conflict displayed in a boy who has to choose between knowledge already acquired and continuing in darkness that most people live. Since he has acquired the knowledge behind these curtains, a certain part of him has to die and another boy be born. This death will occur when he slips into the office of the janitor and sleeps. His waking up in a dream signifies the rebirth.

One can read the theme of transformation throughout the story. The writer cleverly uses lighting and the passage through candelabras to represent this journey of transformation. The description of scenes and development of characters are also unmistakable. Readers searching for literary stylistics are rewarded handsomely by the author.

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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