Saturday, November 10, 2018

Brief Review Of Behind The Blue Curtain

By Laura Wallace


There are stories and books that you only read once and forget as you close the last cover. Other stories echo through your life and redefine your perception of reading henceforth. Behind the Blue Curtain is a masterpiece by Steven Millhauser featuring a young curious boy who usually goes to the theater on Saturday evenings with his father. However, he decides that it is time to go alone. This is a decision that will change his life forever.

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 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 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 is excellently displayed in a character who has to choose between living the false bubble or the enlightened reality. If the old is to go, death must occur. This happens as he falls asleep in the office of the theater janitor. Rising up or reborn is signified by his awakening in the form of a dream. This is a resolution of prevailing conflict and justification of enlightenment.

Transformation upon acquisition of knowledge is a central them running through the story. The author uses light and passage through the candelabras to signify the journey. Another commendable element is how the author describes scenes and characters to make them understandable. This book is stylistically rich and easy to relate for readers of all kind.

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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