Taras Bulba

"But the future is unknown and lies before man like an autumn fog rising from the swamps, a fog in which birds fly high and low, fluttering their wings and not recognizing one another, the dove not seeing the hawk, the hawk not seeing the dove, neither knowing how near or far it might be from its destruction."

"If words could only describe what is in a young woman's glance! But neither chisel, nor brush, nor the mightiest of words can capture what at times will fill a woman's look, or the tender feelings that such a glance can unleash in its recipient."

Dubbed by Ernest Hemingway as "one of the ten greatest books of all time," Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol definitely stands up to its reputation. This short novel touches on topics of war, courage, belief, religion, love, betrayal, racism, and many others. It is written in an epic undertone, that only readers familiar with Homer's Illiad would understand or not find peculiar. Also, if you come from Eastern Europe like myself and had to memorize epic war poems in grade school for assignments, you would understand the passion and pride of Ukranian's Zaporozhian Cossack men. They were not perfect. In fact, all they knew was fighting for their rights and beliefs, even if it meant destroying innocence in their paths and even if it meant fighting out of boredom. Fighting the enemy was the only honorable way to live and the most noble way to die. But the one admirable trait in Cossacks was staying true to their faith and culture even in desperate times.

After returning home from school, Taras takes his two sons, Andri and Ostap, under his wing in the Zaporozhian army, where he instills in them the passion for fighting and defending the Cossack faith. However, when Andri meets a beautiful Polish woman and sees the way her people suffer under the Cossack rule, he immediately falls in love and vows to fight on the Polish side instead. Needless to say, Taras is enraged that his own son betrayed his roots, and Andri is killed by his own father without a slightest hint of remorse. Meanwhile, the other son Ostap is taken hostage by the Polish army and Taras is put out of conscience. When he finally wakes up in another town, saved by his comrades, he makes every attempt to find Ostap but only to learn he is to be beheaded. As Ostap goes through public torture, he asks aloud if his father is in the crowd and Taras yells, "I am here!" and then disappears. The death of Ostap deeply wounds him and he returns to fighting the Polish army with renewed vigor. However, outnumbered by the Poles, Taras is eventually brought to his knees and burned on a stake. In his last attempt to save his men, he yells from the stake and advises them to head to the hills and jump in the river, which they obey and manage to escape safely. This makes Taras feel joy in his last moments.

While the Cossack way of fighting is no doubt ruthless, to say the least, no one can blame them because they were oppressed from all sides - by the Polish, the Turks, and the Tatars - all forcing the Cossack people to give up their religion and way of life. When someone is forced to change their beliefs, they are forced to strip off and bury their history, their culture, and their uniqueness. No matter how inhuman this act seems, sadly even centuries later it is still a current event in many parts of the world where multiple religions co-exist.

The Alchemist

Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist follows a young boy's journey to fulfilling his destiny, or as the author likes to refer to it as Personal Legend. Everything starts with a dream the boy has one night about a hidden treasure. Unable to shake it off, he begins the quest for the treasure, following the omens along the way. Little did he know that in his pursuit, he would stumble across as many surprises as obstacles and meet several unusual characters who would help him learn the meaning of life. The gypsy woman, the king of Salem, the crystal merchant, the Englishman, the girl at the oasis, and finally, the alchemist - all influence the boy's decisions. Hungry to learn more about the world, he separates his mind from conventional thinking and focuses on the Soul of the World, in which everything on Earth communicates through special language. The quietness and vastness of the desert teaches him to observe and appreciate all things people usually take for granted. If only we were aware of our surroundings more, everything would fall into place.

When the boy finally reaches his destination, he is happy thinking that he had found his treasure, only to learn that his treasure is not there at all, but back at his home town. Through his cleverly and magically crafted fable, Paolo wanted the readers to recognize their own dreams and pursue them. There will be many obstacles along the way but we will grow through each encounter and experience, and the reward will be far more pleasurable. Another point that Paolo makes is that sometimes we don't have to search far for our treasure at all, that it may lie right under our noses. Only by following our dreams will we ever fulfill our Personal Legend and be truly happy.

The book makes me think of what my own Personal Legend might be. There are many things I want out of life but to be truly happy I need only three - a way for me to express my thoughts creatively, travel the world and see all its wonders, and share all good moments with my family.

The World According To Garp

Having read John Irving before (A Prayer for Owen Meany and A Widow for One Year) and having seen the movie Cider House Rules based on his book of the same name, I decided to tackle his most famous piece of work - The World According to Garp. Controversial and at times shocking, Irving crafts his characters so well that one can never forget them. Every character in the book plays a crucial role in the life of Garp, no matter how often they appear on the pages.

T.S. Garp is a son of a so-called feminist who struggles to be accepted as a serious writer throughout his life. He begs to be different from his mother in her views of the world, even though he can't help but admire her in the end. The protectionism that Jenny Fields exhibited on her son while growing up is the same way Garp treats his family although he doesn't realize it. Jenny and Garp are the same when it comes to extreme beliefs.

Some may find the plot funny but I couldn't help feeling the Under Toad hovering in the air all throughout the book. An aura of dread fills the pages even when you think everything is going well. The situations in which Garp gets himself into are simultaneously hilarious and insane. The themes of sexual desire and death are constantly present and provide a strong undertone throughout the book. As per Garp, all things must have an epilogue and he makes sure they do.