Anansi Boys Essay & Reflection

Anansi Boys: A Familial Reflection

Anansi Tales, the stories of the trickster god, is among the oldest in creation. How did you like a modern interpretation of dealing with a myth (even if it is a myth you may not have heard or read before)?

I really enjoyed the modern interpretation of the myth. I have never really been a major fan of mythology, however the book does an amazing job at tying in modern characteristics to reach the modern audience. By doing so, people can see how gods can affect modern lives and still have an impact on today’s society.

Gagman loves his mythology, almost as much as he loves character-driven story telling. Many readers of Gagman’s various genres say they most easily identify with the characters from Anansi Boys. Please, agree or disagree, and elaborate.

While reading the book I never thought to myself “Oh that’s definitely me.” Looking back, I can certainly pick out traits and characteristics of certain characters that pertain to myself, but I was never really drawn towards a character that I thought expressed myself.

What are your thoughts of examining the characters by profiling them with resume-like structures? Did it help you pull out details, characteristics, other pieces? Or, was it merely a cutesy time-eater? How so (or not)?

For me, (if we’re being honest) the resumes did not really help me in examining the characters. I had a solid idea of each characters traits going into the activity, so I already felt comfortable with identifying them. The only characters I may have had an issue identifying where the characters in the story that didn’t show up often like Mrs. Dunwiddy.

What are your thoughts of the Bad Raps way of examining our characters as Public Relations Directors? Did it help with character facets, or was it a cutesy time-eater? How so (or not)?

I actually enjoyed the bad raps way of examining that characters. I thought this allowed me create a fun way to help the characters “bad rap.” I believe I could have done without the activity, however, I do believe it helped and was a fun way of clarifying a character’s situation with a false story.

So, what did you think about the novel? Liked? Not liked? Commentary is appreciated and asked for in this instance.

I really enjoyed the book and its mixture of realistic fiction with mythology. The mix between the real world and mythical one intrigued me throughout the story. I loved the relationship with the characters and how all their stories became one at the end. The story worked out for everyone in the end and I really enjoyed how everyone’s original situation changed and to become something even better. In the end, everything worked out.

Anansi Boys: Composition Essay

Initially, I believed this book was going to be a realistic fiction piece. It seemed to take place in a modern society with modern emendates. I never believed it to take such a strange turn into mythology. I’m not much of a mythology expert, and I have never even heard of Anansi before reading the book. I thought nothing of it. As soon as mythical creatures started to appear and characters started to become ghosts, I knew I had the wrong idea about the book. With the combination of mystical tales in a modern society, I began to enjoy the story and even think to myself, “What would I do in that situation?” I found it fascinating. I mean, my whole life I had grown up thinking that mythology was only in the Greek and Roman eras. Now I could relate (if that sounds normal) to the tales. I enjoyed the modern twist that the author put on such an old story. It was a way for me to connect with the characters and relate to their everyday struggles.

One character I was able to relate to at times was Fat Charlie. A normal, hard-working man, he quickly finds himself in a world he never knew existed. Thinking back, I could relate myself to Fat Charlie with his work and often time boring life. Sometime it just feels like you’re in a funk and Fat Charlie certainly seemed to be experiencing just that. With the mystical world now changing everything Fat Charlie had known, he was taken on a rollercoaster ride to save the lives of his ex and his brother. To be able to connect a real world type of man like Fat Charlie to an old tale like Anansi, it allowed me to relate better with the story. It was like making history class fun by having a young, energetic teacher who compares George Washington to a modern-day icon like Derek Jeter. I don’t know how he/she would do it, but it would certainly make it more interesting. When the author is able to make you feel like you can relate to characters, it’s easier to get into the story. I could relate to Fat Charlie at times, so this allowed me to enjoy the book and the stories even more. If I was reading about the story of Anansi from the old-tales with no modern attributes, I might have become a little uninterested. Modernizing the famous tale certainly makes it more intriguing to me as a reader.

While reading the story, I never found myself saying, “Yes, that character is definitely me,” however, I did pick out a few things from different characters I could relate to. I even found things that I have seen within my own family that made me relate to the story. For me, I found myself agreeing a lot of the time with Fat Charlie. Originally, an every-day working man who sticks by the rules, Fat Charlie seemed to have my traits. I’m always working and often find myself in a funk. I’m organized and don’t take many risks compared to the characteristics of Spider. To me, Spider seemed like a rambunctious person who did things on his own terms. A confident man who knew he could do anything he put his mind to. Now I certainly did find some traits with Spider that compared to my own. I believe I hold a sense of confidence and often times, a little too much sarcasm. If we’re being honest, when I think of Spider, I think of a smart-ass. Someone who will give you a sarcastic answer for anything. I love to be sarcastic, maybe a little too often, but I certainly see myself as a smart-ass at times. Not one of my better qualities. One example of Spider’s sarcasm occurred when Tiger was trying to intimidate Spider. Without a tongue to express his sense of sarcasm, Spider made a “giggle-like” sounds as if he was amused by Tiger’s threats. I smiled and thought to myself, “Yeah, I might do that to someone if placed in that situation.” Spider knew he was going to be alright and expressed his confidence with the simple sound. Something small, but something I related to.

Characters within the book also connected to me because they reminded me of people I know. When I read a book, I usually find traits in characters that apply to the traits of people I know. I then imagine that character as the person that I believe resembles them for the rest of the book. One example is Mrs. Dunwiddy. An old woman who (to me) resembled an evil witch within the neighborhood. When I was growing up, I had an old lady as a neighbor who hated dogs. This old woman would call the police every time my dogs ever made a sound. Every time I went out to play with friends and saw this woman, I quickly became terrified that she was going to call the cops on me. To me, the woman was mysterious and creepy within the neighborhood. None of the kids ever wanted to get in trouble with her and we always avoided going onto her property. We often times played a game in which the winner had to stay on her lawn the longest. To me, this woman was Mrs. Dunwiddy. As a child, Fat Charlie was always scared of her and saw her as evil, the same way I saw my neighbor. When I make connections like that, I think of the person I know as that character. Connecting the characters always makes the book entertaining for me.