She Who Must Be Obeyed

The title is a translation of the honorific used for Ayesha by Amahagger, a tribe whom SHE had subjugated. You must be thinking that what am I taking about.

Well, last few days I had been busy, enjoying the sudden change in Bangalore's weather (for the better), reading a fictional classic titled SHE by Sir Henry Rider Haggard. In this work Haggard developed the Lost World sub genre which many authors enumerated.

Horace Holly, a Cambridge professor along with his adopted son Leo Vincey and servant Jobs, travel to Africa in search for clues about the ancestors of Leo, by taking lead from the potsherd left by Leo's father. There they encounter a queen Ayesha and are enthralled by her beauty. She is apparently ageless and had survived for 2000 years by bathing in pillar of fire. She is breathtakingly beautiful and merciless. And would not hesitate for a moment in slaying anyone who disregards her or comes in front of her wishes. She shows this dark side of her character by killing Ulesha, the woman Leo loved and had vowed to be her husband by the customs of Amahagger. Later they realize that She believes that Leo is the reincarnation of Kallikrattes, her long lost love.

In the climax of the story, She takes the three English men to the pillar of fire. She wants Leo to bathe in the fire and become immortal and pure just like her. But Leo was uncertain about the idea. So She herself steps into the flames. However, with the second submergence she transforms into her actual age and withers and dies. But before she takes her last breath she tells Leo that it is a parting only for a little while (ironically little here refers to maybe another 2000 years :D). And says "I die not, I shall come again".

The story is a classical fiction and a creation of abstract thinking and observation. Throughout the novel Haggard explores the idea of love, solitude, power, reincarnation, death and fate. Overall an excellent novel to read.

Veronika decides to die.....

The title of the post is a famous novel by Paulo Coelho (author of The Alchemist). This blog is a plot spoiler. The whole story revolves around 4 main characters. Veronika who suffers with a critical heart condition and had once tried to commit suicide by ingesting too many sleeping pills. Mari, who suffers from panic attacks; and Eduard who has schizophrenia and with whom Veronika falls in love.

The kind of mental or physical problems with which they suffer brings them to Villete, a mental hospital in Slovenia. But story is not about how they suffer or how Veronika dies. The story touches few of the most important aspects of a man's life. The story tells us how Veronika's presence affected others in Villete and how they found out the true meaning of life.

There is another main character in the plot, Dr. Igor. He keeps injecting Veronika with medicines which simulates heart attack. Unaware of the fact and the tought that she is about to die gives her freedom. Because of the newfound freedom Veronika experiences all the things she never allowed herself to experience including hatred, love and even sexual awakening. She starts living her life full time and does what she likes to do most. She had always loved to play the piano. From then on every night she use to play the piano. All the patients in Villete are wary of her, but Eduard is the one who stands and listens. This gave Veronika immense pleasure and satisfaction. This goes on for a few days and she eventually falls in love with him.

Mari was cured of panic attacks but was afraid to go back to the real world thinking what would the people thing and how are they gonna treat her. She observes Veronika and Eduard for days and realizes that she should do whatever she wants to do and not to give a damn about others.
Eduard realizes the true meaning of love.

Overall the story tells us to lead a life in such a way that we are not afraid to do things we want to do. Express your love and emotions if you truly love someone. Moreover lead your life as though everyday is your last day.

The quotation from Henry David Thoreau aptly fits here..
Quote:
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived … I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner…"