An Imaginary Life by David Maluof

An Imaginary Life by David Maluof

1. The novel is a symbolic journey from the constricting world of comfort and knowledge to the wonder and freedom of shedding everything. Discuss ‘An Imaginary Life’ in light of this comment.

The novel ‘An Imaginary Life’ by David Malouf, takes the main character Ovid, on a symbolic journey from the constricting world of comfort and knowledge, to the wonder and freedom of shedding everything. The way in which the novel takes Ovid on this journey is much like the shape of a spiral, as he circles back through the themes and issues in the text, and allows him through this process to shed the constraints that the comfort and knowledge he felt in Rome had places upon him. Nature, language, imagination, family and the Child are all themes that aid Ovid in his journey of self realisation and self discovery to find his true identity and a sense of belonging in the world. It is only through shedding the constraints of comfort and knowledge that he can do this.

The role of nature in Ovid’s journey of shedding everything is evident between the comparisons of Rome and Tomis, and the first sighting of the poppy. When describing Tomis Ovid says “It is the desolateness of this place…We are at the ends of the earth.”. He compares the nature of Tomis with that of Rome, and finds it to be lacking of colour and civilization. However with the sight of the poppy his first step in shedding his old self begins “Poppy, you have saved me, you have recovered the earth for me”. In Rome he had lost contact with nature, but in Tomis he is able to reconnect with nature, and in sighting the poppy remembers his childhood in Sulmo. It is only in shedding his Roman self and returning to his beginnings that he can be free to discover who he is, and his true identity.

In Malouf’s novel, language is a recurring theme which plays a large role in Ovid’s journey. As a poet, Ovid is a master of language however when he first arrives at Tomis he cannot communicate and feels as though he has been rendered dumb. Language is a significant aspect in Ovid’s life and through his experience in exile he is able to shed part of his old self and truly appreciate the Gettic language. He describes the Latin tongue as refined and the ‘perfect tongue in which all things can be spoken’. When he describes the Gettic language it is a ‘barbarous guttural tongue’. It is only as he sheds his old self that he is able to find his true identity and language. In the beginning the book supports the idea that language defines who we are, and as Ovid begins to adopt the Gettic language he is completing another stage in his journey of shedding his old self. “Seeing the world through this other tongue I see it differently. It is a different world.” He finally sheds the comfort and knowledge that the Latin tongue gave him and is able to feel wonder and freedom in doing so.

Imagination is another theme that is evident in the novel and one that plays a significant role in Ovid’s journey of self-discovery through shedding comfort and knowledge of his old self. Albert Einstein once said that ‘Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the whole world’. When Ovid lets go of his old self which was confined to the constrictions of comfort and knowledge he is able to open up to his imagination, which helps him in his journey of self discovery. His dream about the wolf and the deer is a pivotal moment as both animals have important symbolic