–adjective
Signifying something; carrying meaning; Having a covert or hidden meaning; Having a noticeable or major effect; notable;
Finding "significant" points to comment on for my novel has proven to be a most challenging task.
For my second significant point I chose Dr. Sri's interactions with Winston. I'm not exactly sure why I chose it either, possibly because part of being significant is "having a noticeable or major effect" and this chapter had the largest effect on me.
Winston is a psychologically troubled man dealing with the intense emotions of being in love. He sees things as they aren't, he neglects treatment and eventually he ends up hurting himself. Winston also demonstrated the strength of Dr. Sri's character as well as gave us a glimpse into his life.
When Dr. Miniadis (the supervisor) says,
"Tell me, Dr. Sri, if you woke up one day and saw a purple bird in your room, what would
you think?" (p.152)
and Dr. Sri acknowledges that this notion is crazy because there are no purple birds native to Toronto yet as he treats Winston he believes that - just for a moment - he had caught a glimpse of a purple bird flying past a window... this moment really stuck with me throughout the book.
It reminded me that the Dr. himself isn't inbincible and that doctors are truly the same as the people they treat. It reflected Sri's character and his open mind. It sparked questions within my mind: why did he see the bird? will this be concluded later? what is the significance of Winston's madness? is what he saw real?
However, with Vincent Lam's writing style none of my questions were ever answered and I am sitting here typing this and still wondering.
Winston was another character that really stood out to me. In his insane ramblings he asked questions that made you think and sometimes made you laugh.
"Naturally, it concerns me, as it would concern anyone, that someone watched my
urination" (p.135)
It is that kind of question that not only makes you re-examine past memories and points out certain things that could be true, but at the same time it adds some comic relief to the story.
Winston's unique situation also stuck with me for the duration of the novel, just as the purple bird did. I wish Vincent Lam had provided me with some closure on both of the issues.
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