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Allegory
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter I. The Villa
Explanation and Analysis—The Body of Christ:
In the first chapter of The English Patient, readers receive an initial physical description of the mysterious English patient through the eyes of Hana, a Canadian nurse who has remained at the villa to care for the injured patient. Hana's depiction of the patient alludes to the physical body of Christ, a figure who seems to be present in subtle ways during times of war and strife:
Hipbones of Christ, she thinks. He is her despairing saint. He lies flat on his back, no pillow, looking up at the foliage painting onto the ceiling, its canopy of branches, and above that, blue sky. She pours calamine in stripes across his chest where he is less burned, where she can touch him. She loves the hollow below the lowest rib, its cliff of skin.
In the passage above, Hana imagines Christ when she looks at the English patient. Although Ondaatje gives no suggestion throughout The English Patient that Hana is directly religious, the figure of Christ appears when she looks at the patient. In addition, she categorizes him as her “despairing saint”—an allusion to biblical figures in the Christian faith, who, like the English patient, have experienced despair and are revered for their bravery and struggle. This allusion in the beginning of the novel helps to establish the presence, even if limited, of religion during global war. Although Hana and others do not indicate that their faith—if they ever had any—has persisted through the horror of World War II, religious images still appear at the forefront of their mind. In Hana's case, the image of Christ appears to give meaning and dignity to the comatose state of the English patient, who remains largely subdued during the novel's early chapters.
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Chapter IV. South Cairo 1930-1938
Explanation and Analysis—The Myth of Zerzura:
In Chapter 4, Hana sits by the English patient and once again listens as he tells stories—stories originating, in this particular instance, from his time in North Africa during the 1930s. An explorer, the patient spent a considerable amount of time in the desert before the war searching for the lost oasis of Zerzura. In narrating the English patient's storytelling, Ondaatje alludes directly to the real-life lost oasis of Zerzura:
Hana sits by the bed, and she travels like a squire beside him during these journeys. In 1930 we had begun mapping the greater part of the Gilf Kebir Plateau, looking for the lost oasis that was called Zerzura. The City of Acacias. We were desert Europeans.
In the passage above, the English patient references Zerzura, an allusion to the mythical city for which the real László Almásy searched throughout the 1930s. Both Almásy and the fictionalized English patient seek the alleged treasure buried somewhere within the city. This quest ties Almásy to practices of western colonialism and expedition, a common theme explored throughout The English Patient. North Africa was heavily involved in the direct conflicts of World War II, with western explorers prior to the war viewing the land and its histories as something to conquer—or at the very least, to explore for themselves. The allusions to Zerzura in the passage above (and throughout the novel) connect the character of the English patient to his real-life inspiration—a narrative choice that defines the The English Patient as a novel of historical fiction.
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