Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Motherland
In Absurdistan there is a stark contrast between the idealistic capitalism of America and the dreary reality of poor mildly capitalistic Russia. There are many similarities between the two countries which Misha for some reason seems to love, such as a strong social hierarchy and the presence of ghettos. Russia is painted as a fallen country that was in it's prime during the soviet era but is now just another third world country. America however is supposed to be a beacon of light for Misha's life that will solve all of his problems. I am willing to bet that if Misha ever makes it to New York City again he will realize that it isn't what he thought it was. Misha seems to love all the wrong things about these countries though he was overjoyed at meeting his comrades in the Absurdistan air port who were in the process of taking advantage of him and everyone else on the plane. He enjoys the dreary slums of the places he goes and only sees what he wants to see. Europe will be odd in the book and I bet that it will be a very foreign area for Misha to romp around in. It seems like everything in this book revolves around money and where to get it, and who has it. They only speak of capitalism and communism but never anything about how governments are run when talking about them, Misha's father is referred to as the twelvehundreth something richest man in Russia.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think there may be something to representing New York as a beacon, but I don't think the book centers on money as much as yo say it does.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Misha's slight obsession with ghettos is rather strange as there is no way he could survive without his money.
ReplyDeleteI like the insight on new york , it seems probable. The question i ask is when Misha realizes new york for what it is , what will he do? Will he run or will he try to fix it?
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Lars' question, I think that Misha will try to fix it but will fail. I mean he would have nowhere else to run to and he thinks that money is the solution to everything. However, his efforts will be in vain and he will probably lose all his money.
ReplyDeletemisha seems to love all the wrong things about these countries, EH, MONSIEUR 'ARMEEN?
ReplyDeleteokay, frenchness aside, I DISAGREE with this^^^ comment. Misha loves the rustic feel of the criminal life, the bare bones lifestyle and the control it gave him -- no more being bullied, if he was the bully. and whats more, his dad is a big time criminal.
Good point about the similarities between Russia and America. It seems like what usually comes up are the major differences between these two regions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that despite the opposite nature of Russia and New York City, Misha loves them both for his own reasons.
ReplyDelete