Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Letter to Alejo


Dear Alejo,
I have been reading The Kingdom of this World and have come up with a question. I wanted to ask you about your personal interpretation of the “Lamb of God.” Does the reference of this relate to the metamorphosis of Ti Noel into the authorial consciousness? What I see happening is the internal and external change of Ti Noel’s thoughts and actions into a different omniscient being. The Lamb of God could refer to several things. I think of Jesus, God’s only son sent to earth as a sacrifice for the people He cares for. He was sent from the Kingdom of Heaven to the Kingdom of this humanly world to deliver the message of salvation to the imperfect beings that walk this earth. This reference could indirectly relate to the rebirth of Ti Noel into the all-knowing speaker that has been leading the reader throughout this novel. On page 178, Ti Noel “now understood that a man never knows for whom he suffers and hopes. He suffers and hopes and toils for people he will never know…for man always seeks a happiness far beyond that which is meted out to him.” He has come to the realization that the metamorphosis of his being is not only for himself but of others as well, for men look for greatness beyond what they can give. His thoughts have transformed from an internal struggle to a struggle that all men face as a whole. So, by referencing the Lamb of God, Ti Noel takes on the role of a being outside of the world in which he resides. He rebirths his previous thoughts into those thoughts of the authorial conscious. These thoughts, in turn, resemble the thoughts of Christ Himself. So, Ti Noel now takes on the omniscient voice due to the fact that he plays the role of the “Lamb of God” towards the end of the novel. Is this the metamorphosis that you intended to happen within your text?
            Best regards, 
                      Meredith

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