Paper Summary:

Opening with an overview of the novel, this paper provides a review of the themes and characters of Ben Okri's "In Arcadia". Some of the themes discussed are our notions of life and death. The writer says this is presented in the book as a discussion between the reality of our situation versus the idealism of our perceptions of the world. Another theme the writer presents is the spirituality of human nature. The paper concludes that the novel presents a case for humanity to better appreciate the life it has to offer.

From the Paper:

"This epiphany portrays Sam as indecisive on whether he should satisfy his urge for filming an elusive even at the desert or seek for water from the oasis to quench his thirst and in the end he neither gets the first nor the latter. Sam's epiphany carries the message that he should not be too obsessed with his ideal in finding his 'elusive something' as this will make him lose sight of other important things in life.
"Hence, the notion of life in the novel In Arcadia is to warn the readers of the dangers of putting too much emphasis on idealism in one's life compared to living life in reality."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gray, Rosemary. "Apologia pro Ben Okri's In Arcadia: A neglected masterpiece?" English Academy Review. Routledge, 1 May 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. <http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10131750902768408>
• Harrison, Steven. What's Next After Now: Post-Spirituality and the Creative Life? Boulder, Colorado: Sentinent, 2005. Print.
• Okri, Ben. In Arcadia. London: Phoenix, 2002. Print.
• Patterson, Christina. Ben Okri: 'Great art tries to get us to the place of true enchantment' The Independent, 2 Sept. 2002. Web. 15 Sept. 2009.
• Ringrose, Peter. In Arcadia. The Literary Encyclopedia, 13 Jan. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. <http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23026>.

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