This question contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

7 likes · like
7 years ago
5 answers

To answer questions about Home Fire, please sign up.

Gemma In the play too, Antigone seems preoccupied with her own glory and actively seeks out death as the penalty of respecting her dead brother in order to win glory for herself. So in terms of narcissism. Yes. Big time and I think this novel captures that aspect of her character brilliantly. Shamsie perfectly captures the way in which her actions and behaviour are extreme and unpleasant and really not at all likeable and yet there is an innate justice in what she wants to achieve through them. I really didn’t think it was possible to create that in a modern retelling of this story. I’ve been absolutely floored by this novel.

flag

Emily Mcleod Her seduction may fit in with the Antigone mythology. While I have not had a lot of experience with the original telling, a very popular retelling and fantastic play 'Antigone in New York' also had a female character who used her 'feminine wiles' to cause action in the narrative. I believe it also has to do with the dichotomy of the good/bad muslim woman which plays out between Isma and Aneeka and is revealed quite luridly in the Home Secretary's considerations of Isma in the final chapter. Aneeka was difficult to identify with early on, but necessarily so in my humble opinion because she needed to be seen as willing to do anything for Parvaiz including what Isma, the 'good muslim woman' wouldn't to save him (this was mentioned in Aneeka's section). Perhaps the dramatic ending is not self-sacrificing but again manipulation, she may have just wanted to join Parvaiz and once again used Eammon to do this? Just a thought. Hope this helps :)

flag

Jack Cheng Antigone is not the most likable character in Sophocles' play. Generations of students have written papers on how they agree with her position but don't like her as a character.

On the other hand, Antigone's sister Ismene is much more reasonable (or less principled, depending on how you think about it). The fact that Shamsie began her book from Isma's point of view was a brilliant choice that maintains the integrity of Antigone's antagonistic personality but allows Home Fire readers to get into the world and family of the book.

Oh, and Antigone doesn't seduce anyone in the play.

flag

John Wolfe

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

flag

Cat I agree. It was really hard to like her because she really came off as off-putting a lot of the time. She had little to no empathy for her sister, who, despite not having the connection twins naturally have, nevertheless cared for both her siblings and was more of a mother figure to them both. However, I feel that a lot of the disconnect I had with Aneeka's character came from the fact that she only ever had snippets of POV chapters when her mental health was clearly unhinged after her brother's death.
Plus, what she was fighting for at the same time, despite whatever bits of narcissism came through, was a very human thing in the end and it's not hard to believe she fell in love with Eamonn by the end, and deeply enough to embrace him, and consequently her death, in the moment when everyone around them was running away.
All in all, Shamsie did a wonderful job in recreating a modern Antigone :,)

flag

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more