The hero's walk

697 Words3 Pages
How does illusion allow characters to sleepwalk trough their lives? The hero's walk, a great novel written by Anita Rau Badami, has the power to bring the reader into an ordinary, sad and funny, dramatic and absorbing life story. In the novel many characters live an illusion. With the death of Maya many have to change their lives and their way of thinking. Before their family tragedy occurs, none of them could ever think about changing mentality or lifestyle, therefore all characters are psychologically unready to survive their loss. Moreover, this event makes some of the characters starting to think differently. Nandana is one of the main characters who can also be considered a hero. She initially lives an illusion when she refuses to accept that her parents died. As she refuses to talk to anybody, the child created her own imaginary world being unwilling to look at the reality: “Why couldn't he understand that if he kept quiet, if all of them kept quiet, her parents would hear her and come to take her home?” (47). Through the story, her illusion state changes and tend to become a realistic one. Step by step she has no choice but to find in herself enough courage to accept and to surpass the situation. Nandana can be considered a hero because, as it painful, she finally accepts and begins to talk. Secondly, there's Nirmala, Nandana's grandmother, who was binged back to reality. The hole story made of Nirmala a strong and courageous woman. As well as Nandana, Nirmala had also lived an illusion more than a real life. The character believed in the big power of god and idols that's why she prayed instantly when she did not know what to do. The woman also followed strictly the script by being afraid of her mother-in-low and by accepting everything her husband wonted. Nirmala always tried to be a good wife and she always complied with her husband: “Don't say things
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