So this year my family got season tickets to the musicals being performed at the Mahalia Jackson theatre in New Orleans. The first of these shows brought to Louisiana is Les Miserables and a few days ago I attended the show with my parents and little sister. The show in itself was incredible, but it also reminded me of The Return. I had read the short story only a couple days before and had decided to do my thesis on that story. Therefore, the plot was still fresh in my mind and as I watched the story of Les Mis unfold before me, I realized just how similar the stories were.
Both stories deal with a man returning home from a detention camp sort of environment in the midst of a war, and how his life will change completely due to the events that occurred while he was gone. In the Return, Kamau heads back to his village only to find that the location had changed, and no one from his previous life had expected him to return alive. This is the point I have chosen to focus on in my thesis. The author of The Return uses the physical, temporal, and psychological setting of the story to foreshadow these life changing events Kamau experiences. The point of view of the story contributes to this foreshadowing as well. The narrator knew things about the story and gives many clues as to where and how Kamau will end up. Overall, seeing the play was an amazing experience for me, and it helped me with my English work.
I went to see Les Mis last week, too, and I've been making connections to "The Return" all week! I've also been thinking about it in relation to "Dr. Chevalier's Lie," the story on the short story test. I'm glad you enjoyed the play. Javert and Valjean have been yelling at each other in my head all week, and then the election set all the revolution songs going, too.
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