Response To Life In The Cellist Of Sarajevo By Steven Galloway
An individual’s response to the drastic changes in their life reveals a lot about their character. In Steven Galloway’s novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, the author follows the lives of three distinct characters affected by the siege on their beloved city. In the face of such compelling and often violent circumstances, each character learns to adapt their behaviour and attitude to fit their stark surroundings. During such dark times, individuals find their survival challenged by showing acts of kindness and mercy. Much like Sarajevo itself, Arrow, Dragan and Kenan experience the deterioration of their principles and spirit. In order to survive, they sometimes have to make powerful sacrifices in war-torn Sarajevo that they would never have considered
in the Sarajevo of the past. Thus, through the transformation of the main characters in The Cellist of Sarajevo, Galloway shows how individuals are often forced to change in order to survive in a hostile environment. However, even whilst experiencing the turmoil of war, individuals are able to hold on to their humanity and not give in to their savage desires and instincts. The most morally conflicted character in Galloway’s novel is Arrow, a ruthless sniper. She was not always Arrow – once she was a young girl who never intended to hurt anyone. Arrow’s very choice to change her identity whilst killing represents her desire to separate herself from the innocent young woman she used to be. She realizes that her new persona “will enjoy fighting back” (13) the men on the hills. Thus, without the existence of the men on the hills, the destruction of her previous life and the death of her father, there would be no Arrow, for Arrow is a manifestation of an innocent person’s hatred. The horrific circumstances she is forced into only increase in their intensity as her ability to hold onto her morals is challenged by the military she works for. From the start of the war, Arrow tries to differentiate herself from the men on the hills by justifying the fact that she does not kill blindly. Her gun is only aimed at soldiers of her own choosing, not civilians. Months later, she realizes that despite her best attempts, the women who “said she didn’t want to kill anyone was gone” (71).
in the Sarajevo of the past. Thus, through the transformation of the main characters in The Cellist of Sarajevo, Galloway shows how individuals are often forced to change in order to survive in a hostile environment. However, even whilst experiencing the turmoil of war, individuals are able to hold on to their humanity and not give in to their savage desires and instincts. The most morally conflicted character in Galloway’s novel is Arrow, a ruthless sniper. She was not always Arrow – once she was a young girl who never intended to hurt anyone. Arrow’s very choice to change her identity whilst killing represents her desire to separate herself from the innocent young woman she used to be. She realizes that her new persona “will enjoy fighting back” (13) the men on the hills. Thus, without the existence of the men on the hills, the destruction of her previous life and the death of her father, there would be no Arrow, for Arrow is a manifestation of an innocent person’s hatred. The horrific circumstances she is forced into only increase in their intensity as her ability to hold onto her morals is challenged by the military she works for. From the start of the war, Arrow tries to differentiate herself from the men on the hills by justifying the fact that she does not kill blindly. Her gun is only aimed at soldiers of her own choosing, not civilians. Months later, she realizes that despite her best attempts, the women who “said she didn’t want to kill anyone was gone” (71).