When Jacob wants to find himself, he jumps into The Diary of Anne Frank; when Daan needs a little TLC, he stares at Rembrandt; and when Geertrui and Jacob need a pick-me-up, they read poetry. Why? Art is super important to how people express and understand themselves in Postcards from No Man's Land. It brings comfort and challenges the characters to think, and it allows them to feel something other than the (often) crummy things happening around them.
Art is life in this book, connectedness and vitality no matter what's going on around characters. Chambers is not just showing off his mad skills and knowledge of highbrow stuff—this novel takes a pretty self-conscious look at the art itself. It asks us to think about the value of art in our own lives, and how it can help us to think and create as well.
Questions About Art and Culture
- Does the novel represent different forms of art (like poetry, drawing, painting, writing) as equally valuable? What makes them so, or not so?
- Why does Jacob love Anne Frank specifically? Why does Daan love Rembrandt specifically? What is it about art that speaks to them?
- Have you ever felt comforted by poetry or literature, like Geertrui and Jacob? Why do you think poetry has a power to connect people?
- Does everyone in the novel appreciate art and literature? Who does? Who does not?
Chew on This
Art is a way for Jacob and Daan to understand themselves, even if they can't express themselves fully in their own lives.
While Jacob and Daan both proclaim they love art and literature because it is honest, the reality is that they enjoy the escape of art more than the truth behind it.