TOW #16 - Eat, Pray, Love: Second half

The character development in Eat, Pray, Love is one of the greatest and most satisfying elements to the entire book.  On the final page of Elizabeth Gilbert's journey, literally and figuratively, she closes with one final word.  This word, "attraversiamo", was Gilbert's favorite word during her time in Italy.  It means, quite literally, "let's cross over", as if to signal a desire to cross over to the other side of the street.  However, the repetition of this word becomes very symbolic as it begins to signify the crossing over Gilbert does from her dark, depressed, and post-divorced state into a mindset of happiness, independence, and new-found love.  It was the perfect way to end this inspiring and mind-blowing tale of one woman's journey to find herself, and I truly believe that through her journey the reader is able to find a peace within themselves as well.  Gilbert tells her story in order to present the way that her year off from "real life", and her journey from Italy to India to Indonesia, was able to shape who she became and was able to save her from the darkness that she left behind in her old life.  Gilbert is effective through her use of detailed and relatable language, such as humor and inner thoughts.  When telling of the wife of the medicine man she befriends in Bali she writes, "She was blatantly suspicious of me at first-Who is this flamingo traipsing through my house every day?" These inner thoughts allow Gilbert to express her personality through her writing, and bring an even more personal touch to the story.  Gilbert is also relatable because of her past.  She is a writer from New York who had a husband, a big house, and a job.  She was someone who knew that all of these things were exactly what she was supposed to want, however, she just couldn't find her happiness within the generic mold of American womanhood.  The want of something more is very relatable, and makes Gilbert's adventure all the more desirable and believably realistic.  In addition, Gilbert was effective through the educational portion of her writing.  In each place she lived, she would take the time to write out many of the religious, cultural and culinary elements of that area.  Through this, the reader is better able to understand the places Gilbert discusses, even though they may or may not have ever travelled there.  Overall, I loved Eat, Pray, Love, and I would (and already have) recommend it to others.  In some small way, Gilbert has changed my outlook on life, and allowed me to have a better understanding of what exactly is important, how to prioritize, and how to bring a little more peace into my everyday.