"If Everything is Stable, One is Not Going To Move Very Far": Reality as Illusion in Ondaatje's The Cat's Table

Authors

  • Jessica Kristie Barratt Grant MacEwan Univsersity - Bachelor of Arts Program - Honours English.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31542/j.muse.101

Abstract

This essay examines one of the major themes of Michael Ondaatje's The Cat's Table: Perception and Reality. While on the surface the novel is about a young boy on a journey, it is Michael's unique perspective that reveals an elusive truth about our reality: that it is a fragile illusion, at best. Via a comparison of Michael's past (specifically the twenty-one days he was aboard a ship named Oronsay) and present realities, then, both Michael and the reader come to realize the highly subjective nature of our collective 'reality.'

Author Biography

  • Jessica Kristie Barratt, Grant MacEwan Univsersity - Bachelor of Arts Program - Honours English.
    English Department - English Undergraduate

Downloads

Published

2014-10-22

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2014)

Section

Arts and Sciences - Humanities

License

By publishing works in MUSe, authors and creators retain copyright under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license, which allows others to share these works for non-commercial purposes as long as credit is given. The MUSe Editorial Board reserves the right to make copy-editing changes to works prior to publication to ensure they conform to the publication's style and quality standards. The Editorial Board also reserves the right to archive published submissions in MacEwan University's institutional repository, RO@M.

How to Cite

"If Everything is Stable, One is Not Going To Move Very Far": Reality as Illusion in Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table. (2014). MacEwan University Student EJournal, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.31542/j.muse.101