59 pages 1 hour read

Michael Ondaatje

The English Patient

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

How does the landscape and setting of the novel—specifically the Villa San Girolamo and the country around it—reflect the inner lives of the characters? What significance does Tuscany hold in the novel?

2.

How does the novel use cartography to talk about ideas like identity, community, and history? What does geography mean to different characters throughout the text?

3.

Analyze Caravaggio’s character arc throughout the novel. How is he shaped by his professional identity as a thief and his reactions to the concepts of intimacy and community? What is his role and significance in The English Patient as a whole?

Related Titles

By Michael Ondaatje

Study Guide

logo

Anil's Ghost

Michael Ondaatje

Anil's Ghost

Michael Ondaatje

Plot Summary

logo

Coming Through Slaughter

Michael Ondaatje

Coming Through Slaughter

Michael Ondaatje

Plot Summary

logo

Divisadero

Michael Ondaatje

Divisadero

Michael Ondaatje

Study Guide

logo

In the Skin of a Lion

Michael Ondaatje

In the Skin of a Lion

Michael Ondaatje

Plot Summary

logo

Running in the Family

Michael Ondaatje

Running in the Family

Michael Ondaatje

Plot Summary

logo

The Cat's Table

Michael Ondaatje

The Cat's Table

Michael Ondaatje

Study Guide

logo

The Cinnamon Peeler

Michael Ondaatje

The Cinnamon Peeler

Michael Ondaatje

Plot Summary

logo

The Collected Works of Billy the Kid

Michael Ondaatje

The Collected Works of Billy the Kid

Michael Ondaatje

Plot Summary

logo

Warlight

Michael Ondaatje

Warlight

Michael Ondaatje