In The Skin of the Lion

A detailed Summary of In The Skin of the Lion

Michael Ondaatje's novel In The Skin Of A Lion, is one of great interpretation. Many different people have interpreted it in many different ways. Even Ondaatje himself, on lecture tours has contradicted himself each time. In The Skin Of A Lion can be twisted and explained from different perspectives and outlooks

1. The section of the story when Patrick dynamites the Water Works is a dream. One reason it is a dream is because he felt so strongly about getting revenge he would have not fallen asleep when he finally reached his destination. With all the adrenaline and motive to get to the Water Works no one could go to sleep until his mission was completed. Patrick fell asleep talking to Harris and then wakes up to Hanna calling his name. Another reason I feel Patrick was dreaming was because if he really did break in to the Water Works he would have been in jail for it. I do not really believe Harris would have let Patrick off from trying to destroy the most important thing in his life. Harris lived in the plant and everything he did was for his buildings, he would not let someone come in threatening to dynamite it and get away with it. The last thing that leads me to conclude that the bombing was a dream is that there

is no actual conversation with Hanna about the dynamiting th!

2. Ondaatje at the beginning of the novel shares with us that the story is being told to a young girl. We later find out that girl to be Hanna and told the story by Patrick. Many of the stories, actions and people Patrick tells Hanna about are questionable to tell a young girl or he passes judgment on things without knowing all the facts. Many of the scenes in Ondaatje's book are in questioned to be exaggeration or the truth. The story is told by Patrick so many of the things might not have been said, or thought but we are not sure, so we must assume they were said. One thing that would not be appropriate to tell a young girl would be of his sexual acts. On page 68 &69 and on a few others show examples of this. It is not appropriate for him to tell a young girl these things. It makes it even worse because he tells of these acts with Clara and then tells Hanna about his acts with her mother. These things are just not necessary to tell Hanna or any young girl. Other th!

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e Water Works. The part that he talks about is placed in there in a strange place for it. He tells what h

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Approximate Word count = 828
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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In The Skin of the Lion

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