The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Group

Question:

jessek37
jessek37

What does the Mongoose say to Oscar at the canefield?

Near the end of the novel, Oscar Wao is on the brink of death, and he sees the mongoose, and it saids something like, "-----   -----  -----" said Mongoose, and leaves the 3 lines blank. What does it say? And what is the significance of the faceless man (extra)?

 

Thank you!

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Posted by jessek37 on Saturday September 19, 2009 at 2:13 PM and tagged with canefield, characters, mongoose, oscar.

Answers:


  1. mstultz72 Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

     

    Earlier the three dashes are used by Oscar to stand for words he dare not say, lest he be cursed by the fuku: "I Love You."

    I think the Mongoose is saying the same thing.  The Mongoose sees Oscar as a martyr for a higher love to spite the fuku.  The Mongoose (a mythological sign of altruism) is saying that it loves Oscar for dying for such a noble cause, not for selfish reasons.

    The faceless men are symbols of the Secret Police, Trujullo's minions.  If Trujillo is Sauran, then the faceless men are like the Ring Wraiths from The Lord of the Rings, phantoms who steal and kill under cover of night.  They carry out the Dark Lord's evil.

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    Posted by mstultz72 on Tuesday December 1, 2009 at 9:29 AM