An Imaginary Life

We have read several poems that tell of metamorphoses of some being. These poems are written by the poet Ovid. An Imaginary Life is written by David Malouf. I believe the main theme of this story is the metamorphosis of the master of metamorphosis, Ovid. He begins the story as a begrudging prisoner of this desolate village, unable to understand the language or customs. Ovid has been exiled and is unable to return to his normal life. Instead, he has been unwillingly integrated into this life that could not be more different from the one he is accustomed to. He finally finds solace in his obsession with a feral child he spots during a hunting excursion. He is brought back to his childhood by this sighting of what he believes to be no ordinary child, but The Child. Eventually, the child is captured and is put under Ovid's supervision and care. After an excruciating couple of weeks, Ovid begins to become close to the Child. He then begins to teach the Child normal human behavior. At first glance, this bout of knowledge gain and development seems to show us the apparent metamorphosis of the Child, but in truth we are seeing the metamorphosis of the Child’s teacher, Ovid. Ovid has now accepted his fate and concerns himself solely with the development and protection of the Child. Further into the relationship, Ovid and the Child must face the trials and tribulations that come with the Child’s instinctual animal-like characteristics and the village’s lack of acceptance of such a strange creature. After a taxing sequence of sicknesses and an old woman’s acute paranoia, the Child and Ovid must leave the village. This journey of two separate beings becomes the journey of one entity. Ovid morphs from the teacher into the pupil. He is now in the Child’s world, and what he knows from his past life will do little to help him survive. In the end, the Child must take care of Ovid, who has become an old man. We have seen the metamorphosis of a man into a child, a teacher into a pupil. A beautifully written, profoundly intriguing story, An Imaginary Life is a trip for the imagination. In this story, Ovid is not viewed as a creator of amazing yet horrifying works of metamorphosis, he is himself morphed into a humble student. He manages to find an ability of great compassion for another being that, if he were not exiled, would never have come to fruition.