Cockroach Book Report
Cockroach Book Report
By: James
Cockroach, written by Rawi Hage, published in 2008 by House of Anansi Press Inc., tells the story of a new immigrant who comes to Montreal, Canada to escape his war torn country back home in Iran. We see Canada through the eyes of the unnamed protagonist throughout the novel who struggles financially, and emotionally, battling the cold Canadian winter, and ending up in special care after a failed suicide attempt upon arriving to Canada. Through his extremely small group of friends; Reza, Farhoud, and his lover, Shohreh, he manages to scrape together somewhat of a life for himself in Montreal’s small immigrant community. The protagonist imagines himself as a cockroach, invading the homes of the upper and middle class, and stealing not only items he needs to survive, but also bringing souvenirs back from his break-ins to his small run down apartment. This novel shines a light on the way Canadian immigrants are treated, how society honestly views the lower class, and how the upper classes are portrayed negatively by these immigrants.
The period in history the novel takes place in is modern day. Problems that arise in the book are problems that are actually happening in today’s society somewhere, not only in Canada but also around the world. One of these problems is mental health, the stigma around it, as well as the modern way we tend to deal with these issues, all of which we see in Cockroach. In more of the developed nations at least, we are far more aware of all the different forms mental illness takes. These forms can be Attention Deficit Disorders, depression, Schizophrenia, suicide, and Bipolar disorder, just to name a few. To treat these illnesses and disorders, modern innovations have come up with medicine to help people stay in a better state of mind, and there are also educated people who treat, and take care of people with mental health issues for a living such as therapists, doctors, or rehabilitation
By: James
Cockroach, written by Rawi Hage, published in 2008 by House of Anansi Press Inc., tells the story of a new immigrant who comes to Montreal, Canada to escape his war torn country back home in Iran. We see Canada through the eyes of the unnamed protagonist throughout the novel who struggles financially, and emotionally, battling the cold Canadian winter, and ending up in special care after a failed suicide attempt upon arriving to Canada. Through his extremely small group of friends; Reza, Farhoud, and his lover, Shohreh, he manages to scrape together somewhat of a life for himself in Montreal’s small immigrant community. The protagonist imagines himself as a cockroach, invading the homes of the upper and middle class, and stealing not only items he needs to survive, but also bringing souvenirs back from his break-ins to his small run down apartment. This novel shines a light on the way Canadian immigrants are treated, how society honestly views the lower class, and how the upper classes are portrayed negatively by these immigrants.
The period in history the novel takes place in is modern day. Problems that arise in the book are problems that are actually happening in today’s society somewhere, not only in Canada but also around the world. One of these problems is mental health, the stigma around it, as well as the modern way we tend to deal with these issues, all of which we see in Cockroach. In more of the developed nations at least, we are far more aware of all the different forms mental illness takes. These forms can be Attention Deficit Disorders, depression, Schizophrenia, suicide, and Bipolar disorder, just to name a few. To treat these illnesses and disorders, modern innovations have come up with medicine to help people stay in a better state of mind, and there are also educated people who treat, and take care of people with mental health issues for a living such as therapists, doctors, or rehabilitation