Innocence to Experienced in Forbidden City
Similarly, n William Bell’s novel Forbidden City, Alex goes on a dangerous journey from innocence to experience. First, Alex begins in the innocence stage as he is naive, inexperience and pure-hearted. Next, Alex goes on a dangerous journey and overcomes his crucial struggle. Finally, Jack ends in the experience stage as he is mature, wiser about war, becomes experienced and receives his concrete and abstract rewards. First of all, we see that Alex is in the innocence stage because he is naive, inexperience and pure-hearted.
At the beginning of the story, Alex naively winks that wars are like games and that everything is about control. But unfortunately, wars and battles are not a simple thing as Alex thinks they are. There are serious consequences behind the war that Alex has not notice about, for example, he does not know that many people will die in the war. As Alex likes the military stuff and history, Alex reveals, “it isn’t the killing and ghoulish stuff that interests me. It’s the battle plans and the strategy and the weapons.
Its like chess or curling or bridge -? those are all games I really’ (Bell 17). This quotation shows that Alex naively thinks about wars and battle Lana are like games like chess or curling or bridge. Wars and battle plans are completely different thing from chess games because the consequences behind war and chess game are entirely different. Losing a chess game is not a big deal, it won’t cause physically damages to anyone; but losing a war or battle, many people will die and family will break up.
Also, Alex is inexperience as he never leaves his home country and goes to other country, all his knowledge is from the books that he read. As Alex and his dad travel to China, Alex reveals, “The most frustrating thing is that I can’t really do anything because can’t speak Chinese. As soon as step outside this boring hotel I’m isolated -? totally. ” (Bell 44). This quotation demonstrates that Alex has never leaves home country before, he does not have the experience of being in China, which is an unfamiliar and brand new place for him and he does not know how to speak Chinese.
He suffers because he is inexperience and does not know how Chinese, he cannot go anywhere and do anything except stay in the boring hotel.. Finally, Alex is pure-hearted as he thinks his mom left home and live herself is his fault. When Alex is 12 years old, he starts getting hot about military history and stuff, for this reason, he does not realize his mom has leave him and live herself. Alex reveals, “once asked me when I started getting hot on military, and until then didn’t realize that it started around the time mom left home and went to live on her own…
At flirts thought it was my fault, but mom and dad… Worked hard to convincing me it wasn’t. ” (Bell 15). This quotation demonstrates that Alex simply thinks his mother left because of him. But actually this is not Ale’s fault, no parent will eave their children when they are naive and young. In that time, Alex is only twelve and he has a hard time understanding why his mom left home, so he thinks getting hot about military is the reason that his mom left home. Therefore, Alex is clearly in innocence stage because he is nave, inexperience and pure-hearted.
Second, Alex goes on a dangerous journey and faces his crucial struggle with the help of mentor. In Ale’s dangerous journey in China, Alex faces his physical leviathan, which is the most violence part of PLAN (People Liberation Army), the army 27. As Alex is escaping from the PLAN, PLAN shot Ale’s leg and cause him fall hard to the ground. Alex reveals, “Behind me I heard a shout, then the hallow rattle of machine-gun fire. Something felt like baseball bat slammed into my back of leg. Knocking it out from under me. ” (Bell 164).
This quotation demonstrates that Ale’s leg is shot by the PLAN this causes him fall down to the ground and lose his mobility to escape from the ruthless PLAN, for this reason, PLAN can easily follow up and take his life by giving him another shot. So as we see in this quotation, PLAN are extremely dangerous to Alex, hey carry KAKA and try to kill everyone in order to clear the square, which also shows PLAN have no mercy to the people, even they are compatriot. Also, Alex faces his psychological leviathan which is the fear of losing his father.
As Alex notice his father has been caught by the PLAN he worries and afraid of the PLAN will murder his dad since PLAN is a ruthless and cruelness. We see this when Alex says to Ala Xx, “ahoy don’t know him, Ala Xx. He’ll forget about everything except getting pictures. I’ve got to get him out! I am not staying here while he’s down there! ‘ (Bell 151 This quotation demonstrates that Alex fear of losing his father as his father keeps taking pictures and videos while the merciless PLAN are clearing the square.
Alex knows how his dad is in an extremely dangerous situation which his safety is threaten and his dad will not leave the square. For this reason, Alex puts himself in danger in order to try to bring his dad back to the hotel so that his father will be save from getting killed by the PLAN Finally, Alex receives Ala Ex.’s help when he is trying to bring his dad back to the hotel. As Alex determines to bring his dad back to he hotel, Alex reveals, “Ala Xx searched my face for a moment He went to the door and threw on his own sports jacket. ” (Bell 152).
This quotation demonstrates that Ala Xx understand that Alex is determine to bring his father back. But, as a wiser and the one who has more life experiences, Ala Xx knows that how dangerous the square will be and Alike safety will be threaten by the PLAN. So Ala Xx says to Alex, I must go with you. ‘” (Bell 152). This quotation demonstrates that unlike some mentor that only give advices or helpful items, Ala Xx put himself into danger to protect and guard IM along the way of finding his father. Therefore, Alex go through his dangerous journey and faces his crucial struggle and receives help from Ala Xx which is the mentor.
Finally, Alex ends in the experiences stage and receives important concrete reward and abstract rewards. As Alex experienced the Counter-Revolutionary protest that happens in China, Alex becomes mature and wiser about the military. We see this when Ale’s father says to Alex, ‘”All that work you put in, Alex. All those hours. And the lead soldiers, they’re gone too. “‘ (Bell 274). This taxation demonstrates that Alex removes and destroys all the things about wars and militaries as he know how terrible the war can be and the consequences of the people that involves the war or battle.
For this reason, military soldiers and weapons are no longer the things that Alex likes and interests. Then Alex answers his father, ‘”I guess it was all a game to me too, Dad It wasn’t anymore. “‘ This quotation demonstrates that before Alex goes on a dangerous journey in China, Alex thinks that wars are like games and that everything is about control, but now Alex becomes wiser about war and litany as he experiences the massacre that happens in China. Also, as Alex goes through his dangerous in China, Alex has gain life experience and grow up from a childish teen to a mature teen.
We see that when Alex reveals, thought about Beijing The night filled with machine-gun fire and screams, crackling flames and Ala Ex.’s shout of outrage before he died. And, a few days later, that single crack of gunfire. M (Bell 274). This quotation demonstrates that Alex is no longer a typical teen and becomes a teen that experiences and involves the massacre on June 4th in China. During this scare, Alex sees Ala Xx, Kin-Huh and students who are protesting have been murdered by the ruthless and cruelness PLAN.
This is the life experiences of war that would never happen to his classmate or his Canadian friends. Finally, Alex receives his concrete reward and abstract rewards as he goes through his crucial struggle and accomplishes his leviathans. Alex receives the video cassettes that he records from China as the concrete reward of his dangerous journey. Also, Alex receives his abstract reward as he fells proud that he is able to show the world about the massacre in China.
We see this when Alex reveals, ‘There are reports about China on News almost every night, and the stuff that Kin-Huh and got has been shown -? edited, of course -? over and over again. Its all there for the world to see. ” (Bell 265). This quotation demonstrates that Alex has successfully show the massacre in China, he feels proud of himself. Therefore, now Alex ends in experience stage because he is mature, wiser about war, becomes experienced and receives his concrete reward and abstract rewards. In conclusion, the hero Alexander Jackson moves from innocence to experience in the novel Forbidden City.
