Mountains Beyond Mountains
By Tracy Kidder
Character Analysis of Paul Farmer
The story Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder follows Doctor Paul Farmer in his work to help the poor in Haiti. Paul Farmer was a college student when he first goes to Haiti and experiences the the awful poverty that swallows the country. Through his own personnel experiences earlier in life, Farmer emphasizes with the people of Haiti and dedicates his life work to helping the poor of the country. Paul Farmer is a very kind and caring individual, he seeks to help the people in Haiti so much that he puts his own self in not only unconftorable situations but also in danger. For example, in the 90's during the Haitian army uprising, all Dr. Farmer could thing about was getting back to Haiti. He is such a great man that the Haitian's called him "Dokté Paul", a Haitian Saint.
Theme and Setting in Mountains Beyond Mountains
The setting of Haiti and other developmental countries in Mountains beyond Mountains is vital to the story. Paul Farmer's journeys to these areas to give medical care to those facing utter poverty is important because the fact that he travels to these places just to help people is above and beyond. If he were to be doing this in not so poor places it would still be great but really would not be leaving such an impact.
Theme is also very important to the advancement of the plot in the novel. The theme of the Long Defeat is a realization that Farmer has. This theme basically says even if something you're trying to reach may be impossible, you still have to strive for this goal, regardless. This is evident in the book because Dr. Farmer realizes that creating better living standards for the poor in Haiti may be impossible, he still must at least try to achieve this goal. The theme and setting are very important in Mountains Beyond Mountains.
Poverty in Haiti
Critique
In my personnel opinion i did not enjoy the book Mountains Beyond Mountains; however, i did find interest in the work of Dr. Paul Farmer. I was blown away by all the great work he did for all those suffering through poverty in Haiti. As interesting as Paul Farmer's story is and how great his work was, Tracy Kidder had a way of boring me throughout the book. The writing style did not grab me, however the storyline did. I would not recomend this book so nobody has to suffer through it like i did.