The novel, The English Patient, by Michael Ondaajte constructs meaning through the use of tropes, images and symbolism, instead of merely portraying a linear set of events. There are many references within the text and tropes of covering, which serve to create and strengthen meaning. Bold imagery is also present, which erects another level of significance. Symbolism plays a vital role in the formation of meaning, with fire, religion, the English Patient's burned body and the desert being essential to the founding concepts of the novel. The self-awareness of the novel, as well as the mu…
