How Many Miles to Babylon Essay

Describe Alecs locomote and discuss the valuable sharpness or les intelligences that you gained through the study of the theme of the journey?The unfermented how legion(predicate) miles to Babylon by Jennifer Johnson highlights Alec Moores tragic journey. We get together his journey true infantishness to adulthood. Interestingly, the novel begins at the end of Alecs journey as he waits exe mownion because I am no officer & a gentlemen they pay back given me my greenbackbook, ink, pen, paper and comes full circle. Immediately we wonder how Alec soul so high up in the war is being executed, then as we read on we begin to realise how his journey through smell has left him isolated and cold, returning to his prison cell at the belt up of the novel. Despite Alecs privileged background or rather because of it, I now realise that the heart breaking ending was inevitable.Having studied the protagonists journey I accept gained many brain waves into how isolated children bum be despite having a privileged background, isolation and hear his m other had all over him was a major breastwork, with the support of fellowship obstacles can seem nonsense(prenominal), psychology and Alecs coping strategies, the impact the journey had on the protagonist and how people dealt with the combat injury of war differently.Alec led a genuinely controlled and confined lifetime overdue to his makes control and rein over him. end-to-end the novel we see how Alecs render has rattling low love for him which makes Alec the way he is, Alec has a dysfunctional family and a cruel cold hearted mother who shows no consciousness of motherly love towards him. He grew up as a simply(p) young boy As a child I was alone I was isolated from surrounding children of my own age. Alec once state if I were to be born again I would choose to be a rook.They lead such joyful, public lives unlike him, from this we can none that Alec is precise unhappy in his life. Despite Alecs pr ivileged life with no shortage of material goods he was deprived love and compassion from his mother. His parents were barely together for appearances and status. We jockey this from when Alec says My lets face would show little emotion. The insight I gained from send him to this was that money truly can non deal you happiness.During the novel we see how isolation plays a major obstacle in Alecs journey. Alec wasnt allowed go to school he is delicate, Frederick my sexual love From this quote it is clear how controlled Alec is by Alicia and the power she has over her so, she isolates him. As we know his mother controlled his life and had a big influence on his journey. Alec was cut off socially in many aspects. Alicia was not happy virtually him making friends this is clear when she sends Europe to stop his friendship with Frederick. In her eyeball it is an unsuitable relationship.Alecs mother Alicia had a powerful top(prenominal) hand over her son. Whatever she wanted was do ne. Her orders were obeyed. It wasnt until the end of the novel that we see Alec trying to get back at his mother which be him his own life. Alec went to war because his mother wanted him to I want you to go for all the right suits as well as a few of the wrong ones. From this we can note that Alicia has the last say in e realthing and is the ending maker. She forced Alec to go to war just so she could boast to her women friends over lunch close having a son in the war. But that didnt work out as well as planned as Alec deliberately orchestrate his own execution. Therefore Alicia couldnt gloat or so her son being off at war and most for certain couldnt tell them how he died as this was something to be ashamed of in her eyes.The power of friendship between Jerry and Alec helped the protagonist through his journey. The insight I gained from this was friendship is vital, it can help you through some of the hardest things in life and we see this at first hand in the novel How gal ore(postnominal) Miles. Alec for the first time experienced love he had neer experienced this emotion before up to this point he was a very emotionless character.Alec and Jerry were so in sync and understood each other so well the beating of our hearts was like the cracking locomote of a swan. Jerry and Alec were like tweedledum and tweedledee. They both were extremely close and very innocent ever had a sup before? I considered my chances of get away with a lie and then shook my spike, Id of thought youd ease up been with a girl. From this we can take that both of these characters were very innocent and open with each other, they have great trust in one another and can allow out in each other.Their friendship was the only thing Alec had they never let each other down and always supported one another. From my information of the novel I learnt that Alec and Jerry always had each others backs of stratum Ill speak for you but my voice is not very trashy. From this quote it cer tifies that my above statement is true. With the support of Jerry on Alecs journey, his obstacles of isolation, Alicia, Glendenning, no father figure and his Anglo/Irish class all seem meaningless and in ways we can see Alecs life repair after he befriends Jerry. I gained a very valuable insight that friendship is vital in every walk of life and it really can make problems seem meaningless when you feel you have someone else on your side willing to take the fall with you.I learnt a very valuable lesson on psychology trough out this novel. From the very beginning right up until the end we see how twisted and circuitous Alicia is. She is willing to put her only childs life at risk by forcing him off to war, his opinion does not matter. The way Alicias mind functions is very interesting. I personally was engrossed with Alicias character. I had never even off considered the fact that ones mother could have such a negative influence on her own childs life especially in these circumsta nces where Alecs mother present and the wealthy background they had. Alicia also intentionally sets out to lost her child when she drops the bomb shell Perhaps he were not your father. This really helps me understand how crafty and devious Alecs mother is. I had never even anticipated how cruel a mother could be to her own flesh and blood. She was so blunt and attendingfree.I also rear it tantalizing on how Alec evoked his mother. He obeyed her wish about spill to war but purposely left early so Alicia could not celebrate his departure with the neighbours like she had planned. Also how Alec did not write to his mother at the start, he rejected his mother. Alec also made sure that Alicia did not get her way at the very end when he orchestrated his own execution. He matte he had no more reason to live, nothing worth to live for I love no life sentence person. This really emphasises how Alec did not have any love for his mother. I learnt a valuable lesson on psychology and an ins ight into how Alec and Alicia feel about each other. How their relationship is not a usual mother/son type. Alec dealt with issues in his life a very different way than most, he would try his utmost best to ignore the problem and forget it even happened.Alec was like a child in the way he dealt with his problems he didnt stand up and face the face problem head on like most men. The title How Many Miles to Babylon is a perfective aspect deterrent example of this it is a nursery rhyme which hints to us that Alec is not very mature with his coping strategies. He also uses escapism as a way to block out the real issue, a perfect example of this is his plan to open up a riding school with Jerry. Which he knows deep down is not liberation to happen but forces himself to reckon so. He focuses on the physical pain of war not the veracity of it. Alecs journey had a major impact on him. Throughout the novel we can see Alecs character grow and mature. We see Alec ascribe with emotions we didnt think he had for example he felt love for the first time, we know this from when Alec says after Jerry has died I love no living thing.From this we can note that Alec had deep feelings for Alec as a friend, he loved him like a brother. Alec journey makes him more of life, he led a very secured and protected up bringing he did not know the evil of this world they lived in. In ways going to war helped him understand and get a better grasp of life. Alecs journey also allows him to open up more. We see this mainly with Jerry they transmit feelings and thoughts to each other. As i mentioned above we saw him love and care for another human being but we also saw him pull up anger I picked up the poker and beat at the muster out. All in all this journey had a major imprint on Alec in numerous aspects, but i got an insight into how it allowed him to connect with his feelings and allowed him to open up more.In conclusion, after studying this novel I gained an insight into many dif ferent aspects of Alecs life which I would never have considered before, I learnt how Jerry assisted Alec on his journey and that with a friendship like that you get the feeling like you are in control and nothing can stop you. I also learnt a dowery about how Alec and Alicia feel about each other after edition more into the novel.