Topic > Demonstrating that history, reality and memory are inevitable in The Skin of a Lion

The central idea of ​​Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion is the presentation of the marginalized voice, which is in line with his motivation to handcrafted texts of postcolonial fiction. It offers an alternative version of events to reveal the truth experienced by a particular group of people. In this case it is the Canadian migrant who fights for political, cultural and social sovereignty in the effort of solidarity and presence faithfully recorded in history. However, this text can also be read as postmodern as it explores different perspectives through the triumphs and tribulations of the main characters, who present different versions of reality, but are connected across time and place. Through this meta-narrative work, Ondaatje affirms that reality, history and memory are inevitably subjective. This is the essential quality of the text. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Ondaatje reveals the untold stories of the marginalized through protagonist Patrick Lewis and the intersections of his life with other characters. For this purpose, a disjointed narrative technique without a rigid chronological sequence is used. Through poetic prose, we are made to hear Patrizio's silent voice, “easily harnessed” character and isolation from “a heat that is the smell of men”. Like Finns who only have the warmth of cows to feel a connection to humanity, Patrick feels “deliriously anonymous” in his country and plays an ocarina “to give himself a voice.” Later, as an “immigrant” in Toronto, Patrick is inspired by migrant workers who make their way to the aqueduct “in silence” but emerge “out of the darkness, like moths…[with] noise and light” to create a puppet show . This show is not only a celebration of humanity and multiculturalism, but also the mechanism through which Ondaatje gives forgotten migrants a voice to tell their struggles, lost in blinding capitalist visions. Patrick, here, still sees himself as “the third person in the photo”. However, through Alice, who gives him "energy, confidence", he is able to recognize that "Every person has their moment in which... they take responsibility for the story". From Patrick's involvement with migrant workers, he is presented with the first snapshot of the political life in which he chooses to engage. The shy and reserved boy is suddenly catapulted into a world where individuals must reclaim their rightful place. The writer thus shows that unofficial stories provide a source of identity for the excluded. Patrick's encounters with deeply personal versions of history activate his sense of political interest. This interest translates into action when Patrick eventually confronts Commissioner Harris at the symbolically cleansing aqueduct to tell his story and reserve his place in history. Ondaatje uses the images created by the “lights” at the conclusion of the text to illustrate how Patrick, like the recurring motif of moths, emerged from the darkness and silence of the tunnels to live with solidarity and a presence faithfully recorded in history. The presentation of alternative stories of people within the text, which differ from the official stories, facilitates a postcolonial reading of the narrative. Exploring postmodernist concerns and highlighting that “Never again will a single story be told as if it were the only one,” Ondaatje integrates interconnected and juxtaposed stories of mostly fictional migrants and real capitalists into Patrick's autobiography. He rejects the liberal humanist idea of a great narrative and puts in.