The Cellist of Sarajevo takes an actual event (The Cellist playing) during the four year siege of Sarajevo and take an in depth look at the possible ways it touched the war torn area. Within the novel the three main characters try to come to grips with the vastly altered reality their city has become. Each of these characters are touched by the playing, and each is able to find a form of peace from it. My favorite character from the novel is by far Arrow. To me she represented a perfect internal view of what the siege had done to the inhabitants of the city. She has given up her name in order to deal with hate that she feels and must deal with from the men on the hills. It is only in her last moments that she is able to retrieve her name as a last defiant act against the hate she has been forced to endure and the actions she has done as a means of retaliation against those who brought out that hate. The other two major characters Dagan and Kenan also helped express the internal struggle that the people of Sarajevo had to undergo for the most basic parts of their lives, to go to work and get water for your family. Kenen expressed just how muted reality could become when being forced to try to live in that kind of world created by grey destruction. And Dagan showed how disconnected a person could get from his fellow man when he was unable to help his friend who had been shot. It is only when the outside world tries to interfere, in the form of the cameraman, that Dagan is able to connect again with the world and with the hat less man. This cameraman represents the prying eye of the media that was not concerned with helping the people but with capturing certain aspects of their suffering in order to further exploit them. The outside world as represented here is just as cruel as the men on the hill who actively kill the men and women in the city, due to their lack of true concern for their fellow human beings.There were several things that made this novel feel very real firstly, the vast geographic correlations within the stories. You could really trace the movements of each of the characters and fell as though you knew your way around the city. Secondly, the well constructed imagery when detailing the vast destruction of the town, how the trams were now shelters against snipers, the plastic over all the windows, and the still intact mirror at the intersection. And the other thing that made this fictional account seem real was the questions that each character asked about the nature of this war. Each of the characters looked at the men on the hill as not just as the victimizer's of the situations but wondered if they shared in the same humanity that they did.
The one character that's voice is only glimpsed at is the title character the cellist himself. Within the novel he actively deals with the suffering of the city in the only way he is capable of doing so, by playing. His is the one voice that ties the whole city and each of the characters together, not in anger but in hope and longing. And though his playing he is even able to touch the heart of the enemy sniper and make a statement that is louder than the falling shells.
I agree with what you said about the cellist playing in order to deal with the strife that is found in the siege, but the compassion and humanity found within the cellist also should be noted because he chose to be sit in an area where there could be danger to honor those who fell just because they wanted some bread. Arrow is an interesting character. She does not go by her true name because that is how she is dealing with the hate seen around her. The cellist and Arrow are both great characters to look at for an idea of what is really going on because they are going through this siege instead of just hearing or seeing about it on television like the cameraman. The cameraman is unable to truly understand the siege because, like you said, he is only there to report the siege, not necessarily help anyone.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you mention that the book gives a haunting account of the happenings in Sarajevo. Especially concerning how everyday, commonplace objects or things that we would view as normal are seen and used as something else entirely. You mention how the trams are shelters against snipers. Never in my life have I even considered the notion of using something as a shelter against a sniper. That is not something that happens to most people in their lives. The majority of the world's populace can walk out of their homes in the morning and feel completely safe. I cannot imagine the kind of life it must be to go to sleep with the possibly of not waking up, or look at going to get food as a life-threatening task. To have to duck and crawl and roll through the city's streets in fear of being spotted and shot. This is something that should not be experienced by anyone. War is a terrible thing, and it can only be worse if the fight is at your doorstep.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the cellist makes a huge statement by playing his cello in the streets of Sarajevo. While he is one of the characters that is given the least voice in the book, he appears to be the strongest one. Each of the characters have their own fears about the war, but the cellist seems to remain strong until the end of his playing. He sees the injustice that occurs around him and does not want to stay quiet about it. He puts himself in danger for 22 days by playing his cello out in the open at the same time each day. He is so significant to the people of Sarajevo that the enemies even send out a sniper to kill him. However, even this enemy sniper is captivated by his music and stands still in order to listen to the musician he is meant to shoot.The cellist seems to be one of the only people that has a direct effect on the war. While Arrow shoots enemy snipers thus saving civilian lives, the cellist’s music and dedication have a more widespread effect. He gives the people of Sarajevo hope, something that the enemy is desperately trying to take away from them.
ReplyDeleteNothing about the film? No comments on other blogs?
ReplyDelete