Ransom explores the fundamental nature of death and how, as an inexorable fate, it can define man. Set against the backdrop of war, Malouf's novel highlights that death is not only physical, but also spiritual and, more so, how the death of one can impact the life of another. In light of this, Priam's dream of escaping the confines of his royal role and experiencing "something new" given his eventual demise highlights the extent to which man is separated from the gods to the extent that we understand the value of life. But ultimately, the finality of death sparks in man the need to exert control over his own life, challenging the fixity of mortality through stories and narration. Malouf also suggests, through the interactions of Priam and Achilles at the Greek camp, that men can connect through their common destiny, allowing them to transcend conventional roles and enmity, ultimately liberating themselves. In this way, although mortality is man's eventual destiny, it stimulates man's journey throughout his life in search of existential meaning before encountering death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The harsh reality of war and the losses suffered by the protagonists highlight how impactful the death of one person can be on the lives of others and thus, in the process of grieving, one can also lose one's own humanity. When Achilles first meets Patroclus, he feels as if "his world has shifted to a new center" and that he has found his "soul mate", emphasizing the former's deep connection with the latter, as if his life was shaped around Patroclus. Malouf suggests that when an important person dies, their entire agenda may be redefined in hopes of expelling their grief; for Achilles, Patroclus' death causes him to lose the fluidity of his identity and develop an insatiable bloodlust that exceeds his and the Greeks' standards of humanity. Avenging his brother becomes the only goal Achilles now lives for, undoing his commitments as a leader and as a Greek fighting in the war. Therefore, the warrior's hatred is underpinned by his inability to sympathize with another, which is reflected in the fact that he views Hector only as an "implacable enemy", rather than as a man like himself. Thus with the desecration of Hector's body, Malouf suggests that the warrior loses his humanity, symbolized by Hector's death in Achilles' armor. In this way, the text affirms that death is not only physical, but that a spiritual disappearance, in the form of a loss of one's humanity, also exists. This is also reflected in Hecuba's brutal desire for revenge in which she claims that she would "rip out [Achilles'] heart and eat him raw." By considering Achilles only as a "jackal", the Trojan queen loses her empathy, dehumanizing her enemy to achieve her ends and express her grief in the only way she knows how, violently. Thus, the losses suffered during war are compounded by the fact that human mortality extends to the soul. Despite the imminent nature of death, the text explores through Priam's dream that man's inevitable end is what makes him appreciate the value of life. The Trojan king claims that in the context of war, his own demise is imminent and that in fulfilling his royal role, he has lived in a "calm" that has left him dissatisfied with his own life. Thus, thinking of "something new" and "unprecedented", Priam courageously welcomes chance, despite traditionsaging women who condemn this “blasphemous” idea, reflecting on the deep desire of man to discover the true meaning of life before having to face his ultimate destiny, death. Although the king's journey to the Greek camp has an important goal (retrieving his son's body), in a personal sense it is also an opportunity for Priam to discover himself and the hidden values ​​of life. Thus, by tasting homemade pikelets, sitting with his feet in refreshing water and interacting with the little fish in the pond, the king discovered that "what was new could also be pleasant", and although they are not new, he had not paid attention to them before. In this way, the simplicity of these things reinforced the fact that they could not be found in Priam's "royal sphere" and so, in appreciating them, he in some way relinquished the hold he had on the “true inner man” who was previously suppressed to fulfill his role. Through this, Malouf asserts that the reality that man will one day face death inspires him to appreciate life and discover its secrets and, by extension, to discover himself. Therefore, death and the possibility of valuing the life we ​​have lived is what separates man from the gods, who are immortal. The desire to remember is preserved in the telling of a story, calling into question the fixity of mortality and thus plunging men into a metaphorical permanence. . The text suggests that storytelling through the oral tradition of storytellers such as Somax, and even the reconstruction of an old legend by authors such as Malouf himself, makes men immortal to the extent that their actions, which "make them follow in the form of a story”, are told. . The perpetuity of a character is reinforced by Somax's anecdotes about his departed, which are told in such vivid detail that his memory appears "present and raw", emphasizing the ability of a storyteller to resurrect in a manner figuratively those who have died, allowing them to metaphorically replace. their death. Thus, despite the ironic label of being "thief[s]...of other men's lives", Malouf argues that storytellers are the guardians who protect and preserve the tales, which ultimately places the men of these tales in a state of perpetuity. In light of this, Priam's assertion that "this story will be proof of what I am" reiterates man's desire not to be forgotten, and thus, a story has the power to transcend this mortality imminent. By retelling the tale of his childhood, the king restores his former identity and his ability to reimagine the "stench" he associates with the "old man Podarces" suggests that a story is powerful enough to upset the senses and seems so real that “at any time”. moment' Priam is able to imagine his alter ego. In this way, Podarces' "ghostly" life is envisioned, leaving him unaffected by the passage of time, thus fulfilling Priam's need for a healthy identity by recognizing his past. The interaction between the Trojan king and the Greek warrior highlights how man's common destiny in mortality is powerful enough to challenge their traditional enmity. By appealing to Achilles "from man to man" and "from one poor mortal to another," Priam challenges the idea that they must always view each other in terms of victory and loss, and that rather, they should “have pity on each other’s losses” of their inevitable destiny which is death. In doing so, the Trojan king defies the age-old conventions that define him by their roles and titles as leaders of opposing forces, and instead builds a bond between the man who.