A Golden Age Sparknotes

In A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam, a widowed woman named Rehana Haque finds herself entangled between the temporary loss of custody over her children and the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. A fictionalized account that was inspired by Anam’s grandmother and her personal experiences, it exhibits the hardships that were faced during the war and even the adversities that civilians had to encounter during this critical time. Considering that the novel was based off the challenges Anam’s grandmother had endured, it provided in-depth details and strong emphasis on the obstacles that were occurring during this terrible moment of time. The novel displays a story of illimitable love between a mother and her children and the transformation that
Although Rehana was not personally involved in combat and did not specifically engage enemies on the battle field, Anam found a way for Rehana to live her life away from the battle field, yet feeling that the war is her fight as well for her nation. Again, Anam’s writing throughout the entire novel is extremely descriptive. It’s as if the reader is being placed in the middle of the scene. She clearly describes what is occurring in every part and whether it be about any subject such as the weather, “..after the stillness, after the gathering of clouds and darkness, there was the exultant, joyous rain, sweet water that jetted violently…(157), she infiltrates metaphors, similes or other descriptive writing mechanisms to compare to other major themes of the story which has a deeper impact on the readers. In this case, she describes the weather as first being stormy and cloudy, to then turning into something beautiful and encouraging. This can be correlated to Rehana’s personal life because the hopeless woman she used to be was now transforming into someone seen as motivated and
It provided information regarding the war from not only one source, but various sources. After the completion of this book, people are knowledgeable regarding the history of Bangladesh culture, and have a broader yet open perspective on what happened. The novel also consisted of themes such as the positive transformation of a hopeless mother who ended up turning into a patriotic figure, as well as the power and encouragement that love can provide for humans in a time of difficulty, The way that Anam provided historical accounts and turned it into her own story made it relatable. People could not only understand the different emotions that transpire throughout, but also develop a sense of relation to the characters and what they’re going through. Anam wrote of an unfortunate tragedy, and yet turned it into a novel that consisted of remarkable and inspirational themes that can be developed into a learning experience for its readers. She has not only written about the plight of refugees, war, brutality and desperation, but has intertwined the emotions correlated to family, love, and