A Space For Expression and Introspection
A Space To Be Determined.
A Space To Be Determined.
The idea of belonging is ever-present in R.O. Kwon’s debut novel The Incendiaries. Whether it’s Phoebe struggling with losing her mother and sequentially her love of piano, or Will losing his faith and to an extent Phoebe, the novel centers round this theme of place. The central question being, where do I belong if not here? These individual ordeals that are dealt to the characters are similar to the personal story of Kwon’s own loss of faith. In interviews, she refers to the emotional turmoil that followed with such a decision. Losing connections with family, friends, anyone associated with the faith who were unwilling to empathize. This is relevant because in the novel, Kwon shows just how far people will go in order to feel secure in a space, their own. For Phoebe this means being swayed into an extremist cult led by someone prying on her loss and fear of abandonment (for the lack of a better term). It’s easy to sympathize with her in this novel if you understand her grief and desire for some sort of tether, something for her to latch on to. For Phoebe, her mother and piano were those tethers for a while. When those unhooked from her life, John Leal came around with a hook of his own. In argument could be made that she initially latched on to Will and then Leal. Point still stands that desperation set in, even if subconsciously. And although this story is told mainly from Will’s perspective, this I feel is the larger point. I believe that Kwon was trying to demonstrate the desperation and angst involved with finding yourself and your place in the world. Phoebe is a tragic character who is desperate to belong, and she mirrors our own struggles even if in a more dramatic sense. We all don’t end up in some sort of extremist cult (although some have), we all may not love piano but, we all do want to be comfortable in our own identities. Everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere, no matter where it is. The Incendiaries relays those ideas for me.
2 Comments
Kirsti R Toms
4/12/2019 09:08:15 pm
I really like that you used a sense of belonging as a topic for this blog! Though its very clear to see the concept you brought up, I honestly never thought about how the characters would be looking for a place to belong within their lives and I completely agree, as finding a sense of belonging goes hand in hand with filling a void. Great job!
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Morgan Cavanaugh
4/20/2019 11:57:28 am
I like the perspective you went on taken in describing the novel. For example, with Phoebe trying to find herself in the world and wanting to be comfortable being herself that's mostly what everyone is trying to do. Find themselves and their place in the world. It's also interesting that you found Kwon had a lost of faith as well as did Will and that maybe that she saw a bit of herself through this character. Good job!
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Trey BrownA creative-writing major at Wright State with a particular interest in motion pictures. Archives
April 2019
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