Quarter Three Choice Book Report

          I read the book Nation by Terry Pratchett.  Pratchett says that the book is set in a parallel universe, although it is easy to believe that the book is set in the Pacific Ocean in the 1850s.  The main character is a boy named Mau.  He lives on an island called "Nation" to his people, or "Mothering Sunday Island" to the white people.
      
          He is sent to leave his boy soul on a small island.  While he is there, a tsunami wipes out the entire nation.  When he returns, him and a white girl are the only ones on the island.  Other people will come to live on the island, but this cannot make up for Mau's only family.
      
           Mau is mad because he has no soul.  This makes him distrust himself.  He has no soul because he left his boy soul on the small island, and he never gained the soul of a man because there was no one to grant him his man soul.  From this we can tell that Mau is probably a teenager.    He describes himself as a hermit crab, scuttling from shell to shell, but there are no shells left to scuttle to.
      
            Mau is constantly disturbed by the Grandfathers.  The Grandfathers are all of the great hunters, warriors, and philosophers who lived on the island.  They yell commands at Mau, and Mau obeys.  No matter how many things Mau does, the Grandfathers are never content. 
      
           As a result of his sad experiences, Mau is never truly happy.  Mau, being the chief of the island now, is continuously absorbed in worrisome thoughts, about pirates, food shortages, island laws, and the white girl.  After all, Mau takes the whole of the nation on his back.  The fate of the tribe is his responsibility alone.
     
          Mau is brave. He duels First Mate Cox, who has a gun, while Mau uses a spear.  Mau also enters the cave of The Granfathers to find out about his culture's past, not knowing what could be waiting for him inside.
    
          Mau wants answers about life.  Mau asks questions that are hard to answer about his own tribe's religious beliefs.  He asks these questions to a priest, and still comes up with inferior answers.  Then, at the back of the cave of The Grandfathers, Mau finds the gods.  They are stone statues, made by men.  Mau now thinks that his gods are a lie, made up by men, to make other men feel like there is an answer.  Mau now has to find the truth on his own.
   
        Mau is never happy, but he seldom gets sad or angry.  This may be because of his belief that life happens because it is supposed to happen.  When his friends die, he keeps a straight face.  He will make new friends.
   
       I think that Mau has been put in a position that is too tough for a boy his age.  He is not ready to be chief of the Nation, but he is forced into it.  But still, Mau tries his hardest to do what the Nation had done before the wave.  And, most importantly, he succeds. 



            One possible theme in Nation is "Sometimes lies are better told than the truth."  This is perhaps learned best when Pilu spins stories about Mau.  His stories show Mau as a heroic, strong, capable, man, although Mau is usually just as heroic, strong, and capable, as everyone else.  Pilu achieves this image through strong use of hyperbole.  This makes everyone on the island more confident in their young leader.

            This theme can also be understood with Mau's war against the lies his ancestors had told him.  Mau finds that his gods are a lie, made up to make people feel protected.  Mau knows that his people are strong believers of the religion, and decides not to tell them of his findings.  As a product of this, his people go to war very confidently, thinking that the gods are watching over them.  If Mau had told them, his people may have lost the war, and the story would not have ended "happily ever after."

            Another theme learned from the book is "It is hard, but necessary, to earn the respect of your comrades." This theme is learned through comparing and contrasting the leading styles of Mau and First Mate Cox.

          Mau leads his Nationers well.  Everyone is well fed, healthy, and content.  Everyone has a hut, and everyone has a job.  Mau is constantly thinking about what he could do to make the island better.  Another away that Mau gains respect from the Nationers is how he works.  Mau doesn't watch his fellow Nationers work, as Mau is perhaps the hardest worker on the island.  Mau cares about every person on the island.  As a result of Mau's kindness, his people are happy with him, treat him as a friend, and respect him greatly. When the Raiders come to Nation, the people are ready to fight for Mau.

          First Mate Cox does not lead his Raiders as well as Mau.  First Mate Cox claims chiefdom after assassinating the old Raider chief.  The unintelligent Raiders decide that he must be the new chief, and they prepare a coronation feast.  The Raiders plan an attack on Nation for food (the Raiders are cannibalistic).  First Mate Cox watches as his people struggle to prepare for war.  He makes them all learn English, instead of learning their language, and shoots some them for not learning quickly. The Raiders are poorly fed, so Cox can stay plump.  As a result of Cox's style of leadership, the Raiders are not happy with him, and are not in any shape for war.

         The Nationers win the war, thanks to Mau and his personality.  Mau kills Cox in an action-filled fight scene in the climax of the story, and so the story ends, and Mau is finally content.  Happily Ever After.