***SPOILER ALERT***
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***SPOILER ALERT***
In the book, "Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer, I found the character of Brod to be very unordinary. According to the Jonathan (the main character), Brod is his "very great-grandmother" who dates back to the 1800s in The Ukraine. Brod was found as a baby in the river, she was said to be a miracle because her father did not survive and probably drowned in the river. Her adoptive father is chosen by lottery and Yankel, a very old and wise man is the winner of the child. Yankel teaches Brod many things which changes her personality forever.
In the book it says, "life is an empty void" according to Brod. Brod struggles with a deep sense of depression based upon what Yankel taught her. Yankel's wife left him, and in his response to create something more lively for Brod to imagine as her Mother, he imagines the most perfect woman. This unknown Mother seems to create Brod's depression and she cannot truly grasp the idea that her depression is not normal. As the reader I didn't understand why she should be so depressed because her life is so perfect and yet she still finda a way to make herself miserable.
At 15 or so, Yankel now such an old man dies and Brod is left to marry the man named, "The Kolkier". Her husband is a very sweet and gentle man that wants nothing more than to please Brod, though it seems that their love is not deep but physical. Throughout their marriage, Brod seems to misunderstand love and when "The Kolkier" states he wants to live apart from her she says, "love is a room". Personally, I know that love is not where you are but it's who you're in love with and that was when I knew that Brod had never loved nor knew that she was loved.
Brod Safran is a character I truly do not connect with, mostly because her emotions and actions do not make sense to me. Brod is sweet and gentle but doesn't understand her emotions, so she just tries to go along with where life takes her and does not take risks. I think that the author used Brod as a little loophole you could see the past through and realize the very cycles we go through as we grow up. That is why I found Brod to be such a strange, thoughtful and unique character.
Sasha,
ReplyDeleteI really like this blog post. You did a great job including your own thoughts with the facts of what actually happened in the story. I especially liked the line, "Personally, I know that love is not where you are but it's who you're in love with and that was when I knew that Brod had never loved nor knew that she was loved," because it explains how you feel about what is happening in the book and then you show how it gives you a better understanding about what the book is telling you. Even though you wrote another post on this book, I think it would have been better if you added a short summary to this post, because I didn't really know what the book was about. This is a really great blog post for many reasons. Good Job!
Thanks so much, Tiv!!! I realize that I totally spazzed out and forgot to write a summary of the book, sorry for that. What did you think about the book? Do you want to read it now? There are some very intense scenes throughout the book but I think you might enjoy it. Olivia read it too! Thanks so much for your comment! :D
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