An Analysis of the End of the Novel Flying Carpets by Steven Millhauser Essay

Flying Carpets Steven MillhauserIn his novel Flying Carpets, Steven Millhauser tells us the story of a young boy who's been offered one of these flying carpets, and thus discovers the joy, but also the dangers this new acquisition will lead him to encounter. Our analysis will mainly be based on the end of the novel, starting with the last, and also the most intense trip the boy goes on with his carpet.Millhauser is a writer of realist fiction, that is why throughout the novel we get many accurate description of both environments and feelings. Still, his work can't just be only labeled as realistic, another dimension is often added to his texts. Interpretations are legions, and here in Flying Carpets, even if the story seems quite banal at a first look (the adventures of a child wanting to reach the sky with his flying carpet), we always have to bear in mind the notion of intertextuality, giving an hidden meaning to the text.This last point is one of the most important in Millhauser's work. In order to discover the different meanings implied in the novel, we will go through an analysis following three main points first of all going deeper with the question of the inner meaning of the color blue, and its strong relation with the very important notion of materiality. Then, we will talk about the will of the boy to come back from his trip, to end this fall into nothingness (as he goes higher in the sky), and the transcendental revelation his coming back will have upon him. Finally, our last part will concern the doubts the boy has to face when back to reality, and the implied will of subversion, the will of the boy to outgrow everything (as stated in the text), leading to an hesitation when achieved. For a better location of the quotes, the lines will be numbered starting with the one saying blue stretched above like...