under the ribs of death
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Under The Ribs Of Death, written by John Marlyn and published by McClelland and Stewart in 1957, is a fictional novel based on the life and times of Sandor Hunyadi, a Hungarian Immigrant raised in Canada just after the turn of the century in the early 1900s. Sandor grows up with a crisis of identity and the pressure to assimilate as he casts off his Hungarian background to become one of the English. This story distinctly brings to the forefront the conflicts, internal and external, of coming from one culture and stepping into another, to become a true Canadian. Marlyns theme of a mans journey to self discovery are shown through the trials and tribulations in his relationship with his family, himself, and the search for his values.
The story takes place in Winnipegs North End, an immigrant community. Right away, we see that the setting is in a dirty, run down, foreign neighborhood. This sets the stage for the type of environment Sandor and his family had to live in. Sandor would constantly have to deal with being teased because his name sounds different and being beat up by an English gang. This also foreshadows to the fact that early on into the story, Sandor has feelings of shame towards his heritage. For example, not even 2 pages into the story Sandor is thinking of what it would be like to change his name and work in an office the way the English did...