The story begins in medias res when the protagonist Neville Ewan, a guidebook author, wakes up in a villager’s home in Nepal. The first five lines show that the story is written in a third person singular and that the narrator is intrusive because Neville’s thoughts and feelings are presented. Later on in the story Neville tells about the circumstances that lead him to the village Drughat.

Just as Neville wakes up he is handed a glass of tea, the villager Thakali wants him to feel comfortable. Neville feels refreshed and revived because the surroundings have an effect on him. “Neville took in the scene, memorising details”(line 10), here he starts drawing a picture of the scenario in his mind and it is also in this scene where the fire motif first appears. The fire is associated with warmth and comfort. Neville wants to take notes for his book but cannot given that he has not been honest in tel

“No, there was nothing he could do about any of this. Unless… And then, in the space of only a moment, something in Neville’s way of thinking shifted. He could do as he wanted. Do what was right. If just in this case.”(lines 121-25)

“How different from his own world, spoilt and depraved. Where people wallowed in their greed. Where teenagers goaded and attacked old people for pleasure. Where children were not safe from molesters. Where wives left their husbands without warning and conscience. As had Neville’s own wife. No, here was something wiser, better.”(lines 39-44)

Neville Ewan is a complicated man with a complicated background. When his wife left him his super-ego repressed the trauma to the unconscious. And the same super-ego punishes him with shame every time he lies because lying is a taboo and has been so since old times. The id is portrayed in his urge to travel to unusual destinations. By travelling and doing what he enjoys he fulfils his desires and when the Libido is satisfied he becomes extrovert and dynamic. Throughout the story Neville’s ego is caught in the middle of his judging super-ego and his id with all the urges. When the surroundings prevent a person from satisfaction the person’s psyche will defend itself with some mechanisms; the so-called defence mechanisms of which the projection is most common. And in this story it is obvious how the surroundings prevent Neville from enjoying his illusion, but the story ends before any of his defence mechanisms are shown. The narrator simply does not tell how Neville will handle the conflict and this is disturbing because it is an open ending, anything could happen. And if Neville didn’t need professional help before he came to Drughat, he sure needs it when leaving.

Some topics in this essay:
Drughat Neville, Neville Ewan, Suddenly Neville, Bank America, , Matthew Kneale, motif appears, fire motif, drughat book, fire motif appears, include drughat book, surroundings prevent, guidebook author, mountain peaks, brought discussion, western world, product neville, include drughat,