A Complicated Kindness Essay

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Seeland 1 Camilla Seeland Miss Sutton 12th November 2011 English 1010 Independent novel pre-IB English 10 A complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews A Complicated Kindness, by Miriam Toews, is a novel that portrays the complications that Nomi Nickel experiences growing up in the Mennonite community. It is set in a total isolated Mennonite community in the east of Canada that lives of tourism. The author’s setting gives the reader a better impression of what the main character, Nomi’s experience. Growing up in this town and the religious views have affected her points of view and development. All of these factors are very clearly described on the first pages of the book, to grab the readers’ attention. The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons. The Mennonite city is split up into two parts: those who live of tourism and those who live and work on Happy Family Farms. Nomi grew up on one of these farms, with job prospects consisting of slaughtering chickens or churning butter for tourists at the pioneer village. It is ministered as a town, tall on rules and short on fun: dancing, drinking, sex, sports and other activities. Nomi also considers it to be “As far is I know, …the most embarrassing sub-sect of people to belong to if you’re a teenager” (5). There are places for teenagers to hang out, away from all of the watchful, judgmental eyes. These places are described in great detail because that is where Nomi spends most of her time struggling with drugs, sex and love, and figuring herself out as a person. “I am already anticipating failure . . . But then what will it matter to me while I’m snapping tiny necks and cucking feathery corpses . . . (1 -2) Furthermore the atmosphere of this Mennonite town is very oppressive. All of the people there just can’t wait to die or be excommunicated

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