Abstract
In this article, the writer analyzes the book 'The English Patient' by Michael Ondaatje, focusing on matters of love, loss and nationality. The writer discusses that being able to move on from a past relationship and to use it to heal, rather than to flee back to the desert to pick over the bones of the dead like the character Almasy is ultimately the more fruitful way to deal with grief. The writer concludes that similarly, nations must deal with their own histories of war and division--they must see the humanity of others like Almasy, but be able to put these in a larger context and to find something positive to learn from the past, yet still strive to move forward into the future.

From the Paper
"Even the count's relationship with Katherine is fiercely selfish, independent and individualistic. The infidelity which both of them practice, obviously, is perhaps the most manifest example of Almasy's selfishness. But beyond even his relationship to Katherine, Almasy is always trying to shake off any evidence of his beginnings in his Hungarian nation, any ties to others, with the exception of Katherine. He is committed to nothing but merely losing himself in the desert and exploration. When he falls in love with Katherine, their passion is violently expressed and single-minded, even during the best of times, in contrast to the gentleness that characterizes Kip and Hana's relationship. And worst of all, because of his bitterness at the fact that the British soldiers he encountered in the desert would not help him return to save Katherine Almasy uses his personal grievance as an excuse to help the Nazis.
"The ways in which conceptions of what constitutes a nation-state are questioned throughout the novel challenges the reader's assumptions not only as to what constitutes a healthy personal relationship, but a healthy relationship between citizen and country. On one hand, Hana's transgression of the boundaries of nation-states with Kip seems to augur a new kind of relationship between peoples, white and non-white, and cure at least some of the damage that has been done in the wake of colonialism."

Tags:doctor, humanity, healing, relationship

Abstract
This paper describes Ondaatje's symbolic use of air, fire, water and earth, especially as represented in the motif of the desert, to display the characteristics of life and love it time of war. It portrays the elements as the essence of life, and illustrates how existence is precarious and elemental in the world of "The English Patient."

From the Paper
"Love and war are central themes in the novel The English Patient by Canadian Michael Ondaatje. Ondaatje's book won the Booker Prize, and was the basis for the film which won nine Academy Awards including Best Picture. Both love and war reduce humans to states of life that might be called elemental. Elements are the basic components of life. What is essential to life becomes paramount. The four elements, water, earth, air, and fire are symbolically employed throughout The English Patient. As the elements are necessary to the support of life, they can also bring death and suffering, just as the passionate love described in this book is both beautiful and painful. The way that the elements in combination with the motif of the desert are used in The English Patient shows the intimate interconnection between sustenance and the pain and suffering of life as humans endure the experiences of love and war."

Tags:air, fire, water, earth, canada, hana, katherine, almasy