Where Things Come Back

Where things come back

what examples of the theme of self-realization and/or alienation are there present in the book?

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Lazarus woodpecker is the symbol of false hopes and alienation in the story. it comes to people when they are unprotected to resist it. In fact, it is nothing but self-delusion and there is nothing good in it. Or is there? It is up to us to decide. The bird said Cullen that it will help him to find Gabriel, and, although it didn’t, it give him hope that one day things come back. And they did. Lost hopes are essential for people, they are part of our life and we should acknowledge that they may be useful sometimes: “We can be comforted in the fact that life will always be a struggle. There will always be false hopes. Lazarus woodpeckers. There will be John Barlings to lead us astray and Oslo Foukes to remind us that maybe we are doing things right after all”.