The ending is moving after all the
incidents that have happened to Axl and Beatrice. Axl “wades on” resolutely and
sadly. He determines that he can’t live together with Beatrice on the island
where their son sleeps. He departs his wife eternally. However, why does Axl
wade on ignoring the boatman? Doesn’t he come to terms with him and wait for
the boat to fetch him to join with his wife? Just a few moments ago, he so
desperately wanted to go to the island with his wife. An unsatisfying ending.
Disappointing
points:
Izhiguro dealt with the advantage and
disadvantage of memory. The “mist” the she-dragon gives is good for some people
like Axl, but for others like Beatrice bad. Human beings are well made. We
forget bad, intolerable, and sad memories when time passes. This is good.
1. The
she-dragon was so feeble and skinny. It was easy for Wistan to kill it.
2. Their son was
not alive, but was dead and they intend to visit his grave. Nothing is
mentioned about his grave till the end of the story. This is so tricky.
3. I thought the
couple would finally meet their son or find him already dead.
4. The
development of the story is so slow and too many incidents related to Wistan,
Edwin, and Gawain take place. This is not a story where the old couple take
painful troubles to meet their son, which every reader expects when they read the
first pages. A kind of betrayal.
