It is hard not to be swayed a little by the characterisation of George Smiley. Maybe it is how he, almost single handedly, he rebuilds the fallen ramparts of the Circus. His vulnerability too draws one to him. More than that, there is something I still can't lay my finger on : maybe it is because I saw Gary Oldman play him on screen, or something to do with his innate English politeness maybe? I don't know. And the way he figures his way out of a problem, circling around it, almost teasing the solution out of it is a joy to behold.
Maybe it is the way he is portrayed as this guy with almost a monkish devotion to his work that appeals so much to me? And the way it is so easy for a reader to rely on him, reminding one of the time Indian fans use to heave a sigh of relief whenever Dravid used to take to the crease; maybe reassuring is the way I am really looking for. And in a world like Circus where each square foot has to be tread with caution, where even the naively hopeful would have enough cause to become a hard cynic, where the mind's state usually hovers anywhere between paranoia and full blown insanity, only such a reassuring presence could have breathed life back into it.
Maybe it is the way he is portrayed as this guy with almost a monkish devotion to his work that appeals so much to me? And the way it is so easy for a reader to rely on him, reminding one of the time Indian fans use to heave a sigh of relief whenever Dravid used to take to the crease; maybe reassuring is the way I am really looking for. And in a world like Circus where each square foot has to be tread with caution, where even the naively hopeful would have enough cause to become a hard cynic, where the mind's state usually hovers anywhere between paranoia and full blown insanity, only such a reassuring presence could have breathed life back into it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment