Critical Analysis Week Two, Blog One (A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews) 2/3 of the Novel

“But I guess if you can die without ever understanding how it happened then you can also live without a complete understanding of how. And in a way that’s kind of relaxing.” (Toews, A Complicated Kindness 152)

This quote reveals both character development traits and novel theme. Nomi shows a completely different side of herself with this quote. It’s actually quite inspirational in a way. Finding one’s purpose in life is also one of the novel’s themes as it applies to coming of age.

This quote shows an optimistic approach to the way Nomi lives her life – contrary to how she is depicted throughout the remainder of the novel. What Nomi means by this quote is why make living complicated by searching to find out how, when you can die without ever knowing? She finds it relaxing because death doesn’t bring understanding. It doesn’t bring comprehension. And if someone can die without finding whatever they were searching for, then they should be able to live peacefully without knowing how as well.

She comes to peace when she says this because any moment can be one’s last, making living that much more precious. Nomi seems to tell the reader that life should be lived as it comes and appreciated for its mysteries.

What did Toews want to prove with this surprisingly sanguine side to Nomi’s character? She almost screams out Nomi’s growth as a character. Toews gives the reader some well deserved hope to Nomi’s previously dreary attitude, and captures the readers’ attention by such a shockingly warm and sentimental comment from Nomi. This leaves the reader thinking about the novel theme as Nomi ever so slightly comes closer to self worth and slowly begins to discover her purposes in life.