Eaters Of The Dead: Character Analysis

Eaters of the Dead, is a novel written by Michael Crichton, which is a fictional story that follows Ahmad Ibn Fadlan’s “manuscript”. The Caliph of Baghdad sends Ahmad to northern Europe as an ambassador to meet the King of the Bulgars, due to his adultery with the merchant ibn-Qarins’s wife. Because of his actions it tosses him into the journey with Buliwyf, and his warriors to the kingdom of Rothgor to save the kingdom from an unknown danger. Thomas C. Foster wrote the book How to Read Literature like a Professor, which explains concepts that unfold in literature and film. Crichton uses these terms, and concepts that Thomas Foster states in his book to add depth, and an overall meaning to the text. Crichton bases his novel Eaters of the Dead
In the case of Eaters of the Dead the blindness of Ahmad is not physically blind, but blind to the art of warfare. Herger states on page 202 “Each person bears a fear which is special to him. One man fears a close space and another man fears drowning; each laughs at the other and calls him stupid. Thus fear is only a preference, to be counted the same as the preference for one woman or another, or mutton for pig, or cabbage for onion.” In the beginning battle with the Wendol, Ahmad is afraid of the Wendol due the possibility of dying. A Wendol warriors knocks down Ahmad, and throws him across the room. This displaces him from the battle, this is largely due to his fear, and lack of knowledge in the art of war. Herger explains the Northmen’s reasoning behind their bravery. The Northmen knows that they are afraid, but they overcome it by understanding what they are afraid of. This shows the readers that Ahmad is a child compared to the Northmen knowledge of warfare, and