Kyana’s Reviews > Babel > Status Update

“'Survival's not that difficult, Birdie.' Ramy's eyes were very hard. 'But you've got to maintain some dignity while you're at it.’”

No way, Robins a rat

“Robin found it was actually quite easy to put up with any degree of social unrest, as long as one got used to looking away”

“And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods.”

Periodt

“Betrayal. Translation means doing violence upon the original, means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes… How can we conclude, except by acknowledging that an act of translation is then necessarily always an act of betrayal?”

I’m really loving the discussion of how such mundane tasks are linked to colonialism.

I love how kuang explores Robin’s desire to be close to and accepted by whiteness (his dad, acadamia and society). The tension between him not wanting to forget who he is, but feeling like his connection to his culture is his "ticket" into a 1st world country and society (but never fully being accepted) is so intriguing.

“Babel was security. And perhaps all that was morally compromised, yes - but was it so wrong to want to survive?”

“This is what he wanted: a smooth, even path to a future with no surprises. The only obstacle, of course, was his conscience”