Author: Aleks.Ifraimov

Mr.Ferguson is secretly Lord Dawlish,  a young rich lord with high social status. He only pretends to be Mr.Ferguson, a name he given to himself as it portrays a much poorer man. His reasoning for portraying himself as poor has to do with his hatred for the rich. People like Linnet. Specially, he does not like capitalism and anything associated with it – even though he himself is the exact thing he claims to hate.

Secondly, he proposes many times to Cornelia, but Cornelia refuses to marry him. Her refusal to marry him are most likely due to his low social status, even though, he is secretly rich.

Although I do not read many comics, I found myself enjoying this one. In particular, My favorite chapter was definitely “The Letter”. Reason for my choice was ,because I found myself realizing that education seems a central theme in the book. You could even make a conclusion that education, or lack thereof, is the culprit of all the suffering and degression that took place during and after the Islamic revolution. For example, in the beginning chapter 5, “The Letter”, we learn from Marji that her maid, Mehri, fell in love with her neighbor’s son. Although she confesses to loving him, her low social status prevents her from ever being with him. This chapter highlights to Marji from her personal experience and readings of poor children, that she is different from other people economically.

In fact, there is this message across the entire book of how education is stigmatized in Iran. We see this in the divide between female and male students, where females have to wear veils to cover their hair. We see this in the abrupt switch from secular education to that of a religious one, where old books are burned. We see this in the way the Shah uses religion to remain in power. Even to the point where educated citizens, those with a secular education, are seen as a direct threat to the Shah order.

I see “The Letter ” as a pivotal chapter in Marji’s life where she realizes that her self-education is what’s giving her a sense of independence and freedom. She see’s all the problems Islam is facing, because as others immerse in religion and are blinded, she see’s everything holistically by immersing herself in different points of views and teachings.

Having finished reading “To Build A Fire” by Jack London, I’ve had the most supernatural calm run over me. This effect is not a surprise. I am sitting in my insulated warm bedroom with a hot cup of coffee in my hand, while being immensely aware that just behind these thick concrete walls is a gruesome cold slap of reality. The type that makes one not wanna come out of their blanket covers. Such a juxtaposition makes me feel incredibly calm, relaxed, and happy.  Couple that with the reading about this very snowy and extreme environment, and the effect more than multiplies.

While the environment is a strong reason for me feeling the way I do, I also cannot help, but be captivated by the companionship between the man and the dog, or lack thereof. Dogs are some of my favorite animals, and I was drawn to the way the story was portrayed about this dog,  its relationship to the man, and how it all relates to the environment. Everything was oozing symbolism. Some subtle connections and concepts are being introduced that can only be deciphered if one sees past the face value of the story. For example, fire represents life and comfort, and the absence of fire represents death and despair. The dog represented as something half wolf could be a hint of being in the smack middle between primal instincts and domesticated dog.

In terms of the writing style, everything is portrayed in a very logical way, A to B to C. Paragraphs are all similar in size. And vocabulary usage is low. All that makes it a very easy read to follow. On top of that, its incredibly detail rich. The author wanted no detail to be left to the imagination. I could visualize and really put myself in this bizarre hostile world and experience the things that were being experienced. Good read. This imagery is really what produces the moods and effects that it does.