Slow Homecoming: Analysis of Major Characters
"Slow Homecoming: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex emotional landscapes and existential struggles of its central figures. At the heart of the narrative is Valentin Sorger, an Austrian geologist grappling with feelings of estrangement from life while working in the Alaskan wilderness. His journey unfolds as he travels across the United States, seeking spiritual fulfillment and a deeper understanding of existence. Meanwhile, the narrator, a writer traversing the South of France, reflects on the transformative power of art while confronting the darker aspects of human nature through a troubling encounter.
The text also introduces the adult, a father in Paris who grapples with the impact of his strained family dynamics and the innocence of his young daughter, who is navigating her own challenges in a new city. Through their intertwined narratives, the characters embody themes of loss, guilt, and the pursuit of redemption, inviting readers to contemplate the search for meaning in a world marked by chaos and change. This exploration of character dynamics and their philosophical inquiries provides a rich backdrop for understanding the human condition.
Slow Homecoming: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Peter Handke
First published: 1985 (includes The Long Way Around same Heimkehr, 1979; The Lesson of Mont-SainteVictoire Lehre der Sainte-Victoire, 1980; Child Story
Genre: Novel
Locale: The United States, France, and Germany
Plot: Philosophical realism
Time: The mid-1970's
Valentin Sorger, an Austrian geologist working in Alaska, above the Arctic Circle. He is in early middle age. His work consists of making geological sketches of the Alaskan terrain. Sorger begins to feel estranged from existence and decides to return to Austria. He flies to San Francisco and spends time with a married couple he knows. The colors and forms of nature become the object of his meditations, and he longs to find some kind of spiritual law, an experience of salvation, that will redefine his existence. He then flies to Denver and, finally, to New York, where he engages in a long and intense conversation with a stranger. Ultimately, he takes a plane for Europe.
The narrator, a writer who wanders in the South of France to see the various scenes that had been painted by artist Paul Cézanne, especially the Mont-Sainte-Victoire. The narrator reflects on the shapes of nature and the artist's task of transforming these landscapes into the transcendent forms of art. After a bizarre encounter with a half-crazed guard dog in a Foreign Legion camp, he realizes the extent of the hate and violence that permeate the world, and he longs even more for the existential salvation of art.
The adult, an Austrian man, a simple parent living in Paris with his young daughter. He is in his late thirties. After the birth of his child, the parents' marriage breaks up, and the man and his daughter move to Paris. The adult constantly reflects on his relationship to his child and often tends to view her as a kind of symbol of the innocence and spontaneity that he has lost in his own life. One night, he loses his temper and strikes the child. He feels great guilt over his act.
The child, a girl around six years old. She is an average child and must deal with the consequences of her father's move to Paris. She attends a special school and must learn to make new friends.