Analysis Of Michael Ondaatje s The Family - 901 Words

Michael Ondaatje’s fictionalized memoir Running in the Family uses the motif of mapping to represent the narrator’s reconstruction of his family history. The memoir develops a parallel between the mapmaking of European explorers who colonized Ceylon and Ondaatje’s attempt to make sense of his family’s chaotic and disordered past, which is difficult to trace due to the way it has become mythologized by gossip and rumours. In Running in the Family, the depiction of mapping as an uncertain art suggests that the search for objective truth is rendered impossible by the subjective perceptions of those who interpret information with their own unique point of view. These biased understandings demonstrate the flaw of accepting subjective statements marketed as facts to be true. When Ondaatje first references Ceylon in cartographical terms, the â€Å"glances† and â€Å"theories† used to describe the first impressions of explorers establishes a sense of uncertainty in their interpretations (45). The author describes these images as â€Å"false maps†, and observes that the â€Å"shapes differ so much they seem to be translations† (45). The inaccuracy implied by the word â€Å"false† and the reconstruction connoted by â€Å"translations† suggests that the explorers who created the maps conceived them in bits and pieces, never quite grasping a clear and unbiased image of Ceylon due to their own subjective point of view. Even the title of the chapter itself, â€Å"Tabula Asiae† (45), serves to reinforce the idea thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Michael Ondaatje s Running Of The Family Essay927 Words   |  4 Pagesphysically in a classroom, instead could be found wandering about aimlessly. I could never understand why they were all heralded as paragons in their field. They were never there. We once spent 3 days discussing the purpose of trees in Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family. From a student perspective there seemed to be very little organized planning, and most of it was student directed. Through, from a pre-service teacher perspective, I understand the absence of planning was probably due to us beingRead MoreSummary Of The Family Notebook 2051 Words   |  9 Pages9/14/2016 2B Running in The Family Notebook Assignment Section 1 – Chapter Summaries Prologue: Drought Since December – shows the author getting used to the climate of Ceylon because of how much it differs from where he came from. †¢ Intense heat †¢ Reminiscing of when he used to be in Ceylon Asian Rumors: Michael longs for a return to Asia. This section expresses his feelings for Ceylon and how important the place is to him. Asia – analyzes and dreams about Asia during Michael Ondaatje’s farewell party