László Almásy
Dublin Core
Title
László Almásy
Subject
The novel revolves around the mysterious character of Almasy. His identity is hidden from the other characters, due to his physical and mental scars. As Vijayalayan and Jose state
“Owing to a plane crash, the body of the patient was utterly burnt beyond recognition. He is “A man with no face. An ebony pool. All identification consumed in a fire... There was nothing to recognize in him”. [...] The unidentifiable figure of the patient becomes a blank canvas for projecting many shifting identities”. (Vijayalayan, Jose, 675).
Hana and David Caravaggio attempt to uncover his identity, for various reasons. Hana, believing he is a “despairing saint”, worships him, and hopes to gain access to his inner self. Caravaggio, concerned for Hana, comes to realize who this man is, and his actions during the war.
Almasy’s mind is far away from the villa, although his burned body remains there. Under the influence of morphine, Almasy recounts the 1930s when he was exploring the Gilf Kebir for Zerzura, as well as details aobout his love affair with Katherine Clifton.
He is transfixed by the desert, forever reliving the time he spent there. Hana tells Caravaggio that the English patient is “still in Africa.” (Ondaatje 404). And Almasy is a man who is more comfortable in the desert. In the Geographical Journal’s 1951 obituary for Almasy states, “seemed in civilization rather out of his element”.
The identity of Ladislaus de Almasy is difficult for Hana and Caravaggio to unlock because Almasy complicates it. The desert has erased his identity both figuratively, as well as physically in the plane crash. Almasy also chooses to reject his identity, and does not correct those who believe he is English. Being in the desert, Almasy comes to hate nations, and what they represent, despite his position as a mapmaker.
“Owing to a plane crash, the body of the patient was utterly burnt beyond recognition. He is “A man with no face. An ebony pool. All identification consumed in a fire... There was nothing to recognize in him”. [...] The unidentifiable figure of the patient becomes a blank canvas for projecting many shifting identities”. (Vijayalayan, Jose, 675).
Hana and David Caravaggio attempt to uncover his identity, for various reasons. Hana, believing he is a “despairing saint”, worships him, and hopes to gain access to his inner self. Caravaggio, concerned for Hana, comes to realize who this man is, and his actions during the war.
Almasy’s mind is far away from the villa, although his burned body remains there. Under the influence of morphine, Almasy recounts the 1930s when he was exploring the Gilf Kebir for Zerzura, as well as details aobout his love affair with Katherine Clifton.
He is transfixed by the desert, forever reliving the time he spent there. Hana tells Caravaggio that the English patient is “still in Africa.” (Ondaatje 404). And Almasy is a man who is more comfortable in the desert. In the Geographical Journal’s 1951 obituary for Almasy states, “seemed in civilization rather out of his element”.
The identity of Ladislaus de Almasy is difficult for Hana and Caravaggio to unlock because Almasy complicates it. The desert has erased his identity both figuratively, as well as physically in the plane crash. Almasy also chooses to reject his identity, and does not correct those who believe he is English. Being in the desert, Almasy comes to hate nations, and what they represent, despite his position as a mapmaker.
Files
Citation
“László Almásy,” Digital History - Histoire Numérique, accessed September 19, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/jmccutcheon/items/show/117.