Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sam's Journal Entry
In the sections where Kien talks about his experiences in the Jungle of Screaming Souls, it seems that the jungle is a direct reflection of Kien's thoughts and overall mental state. The jungle is a real place with gloomy days and rainy nights. It is a place outside the comforts of civilization, and it encases fear and pain and a sense of loneliness. Inside the jungle, Kien is held a prisoner from the outside world and suffers because of it. The jungle is haunted by lost souls of soldiers and devils that will not leave to the "Other World." Like the jungle, Kien's thoughts are full of memories that will not leave and threaten to keep him trapped. Post-war, Kien secludes himself and keeps himself hidden from those around. He succumbs to loneliness letting the pain form like rainclouds in the jungle. He seems to have become a human manifestation of the jungle he so desperately wanted to get out of.
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Hi Sam!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I never thought about the jungle serving as a metaphor for Kien's thoughts. It is as if the intertwining of the jungle vegetation serves a way to show his thoughts and his thinking patterns as he compiles his novel. Just as the jungle is confusing and create a large canopy , Kien’s thoughts are not orderly but intertwining and create one novel.