Response Journal #1: Comments on General Format

There are many points in this novel that made me pause and think about how the format contributes to the effect and art of the novel.
Firstly, Ondaatje’s spectacular use of parallel structure makes the novel more accessible and provides personal insight on both complex and simple levels. He relates present events to ancient mythology twice, and repeats certain phrases within emphatic paragraphs many times.
Also, Ondaatje, whether conscious of this or not, has two major shifts of tone. In about the first fifty pages or so, he describes setting and character beautifully. After this, for the next hundred pages, he seems to open a window into his soul, and it appears that the main characters act as puppets with which the author can communicate through. Not to say that this is original in comparison to other books, but I have noted this as very prominent, and it is quite effective, if not necessary. At this certain point, it seems the novel is less about character development and more to do with expressing the ideas and ideals about life and love. It’s a pleasure to read. The second shift reverts mostly to expository writing, though still artfully symbolic and tactfully expressed. This tone lasts throughout the rest of the book, and is necessary to give the already amazingly-textured story some weight.
At many points, due to the author’s style, I couldn’t help but to think of ways to make this novel into a movie. Although the detailed description is enough to let the story stand alone, the technical devices the author uses are what make it cinematic. For example, at many areas, the characters flash back and tell tales about it. During these flashbacks, there are no quotation marks to indicate dialogue, even when other characters interject or change the subject. I feel this makes the voices omnipotent, almost narrative in nature, allowing the story of the past to be watched as an audience would a movie. The only difference is, the audience is commenting on what the people on screen are saying, and the people on screen are reacting to the audience. Very clever technique.