Part 3 of The City Always Wins by Hamilton has impressed me and had a much greater impact than the previous two parts. One of the reasons is the disclosure of characters from a new side. Unlike the first two parts, in the final one, more tension is observed, affecting the plot’s perception. Hamilton describes the situation as follows: “Egypt has become an island floating away from reality,” which speaks of the chaos reigning in the country (209). Comparing the events of this part with those in the previous two, one can note that the overall environment is oppressive and oppressive and tense. However, this environment most clearly describes the idea of dark times sweeping the country, which is comparable to “a madhouse, and we’re all locked in together” (Hamilton 209). Thus, the author identifies the situation as a trap from which it is impossible to get out and which cannot be avoided.
One of the features of Part 3 of the book is the constant opposition of modern social progress to the senseless and merciless idea of war. Hamilton often mentions mobile phones that provide Internet access but are incapable of helping people and that only increases anxiety. For instance, when the protagonist mentions his conversation with Mariam, he fears for her life and anticipates trouble by calling “every phone ring a stab of unsilenceable hope, now and forever” (Hamilton 220). These mentions of modern means of communication are not accidental in the context of the narrative. As Chambers states, who analyzes the events of the book, mobile phones are as important to Cairo Protestants as water (86). Against the background of using devices with Internet access, military operations seem to be alien and unnatural. This dissonance accompanies me throughout Part 3 and adds to my anxiety.
Hopelessness and total melancholy are the clearest descriptions that fit my perception of Part 3. The main character talks a lot about death, and it seems that both he and other people close to him are at the limit of their mental ability to assess reality. The cold and horrific facts of death reveal the true nature of the military conflict and demonstrate how cruel the consequences of the contradictions between people can be. Hamilton lists “Haneen, Ali, Husam, Anwar, Mustafa and Islam and Khaled and Essam and Toussi more and more and more than can ever be named,” which speaks of a colossal tragedy (256). Failure to prevent these sacrifices depresses the main character, and this mood is conveyed to the reader. The message of Part 3 differs from the previous two in its tough and realistic plot. As a result, although the last part is called “Yesterday,” its context and events clearly convey war’s reality and destructive nature for modern and sane people.
The overall impression of reading Part 3 of The City Always Wins is twofold. Along with the sharpness of my feelings, I feel anxiety and bitterness of loss caused by sympathy for those who were involved in this war. The theme of the irrational nature of hostilities in modern realities with advanced technologies reveals the author’s idea about the inadmissibility of armed conflicts. Thus, Part 3 is the toughest and, simultaneously, the most realistic of the three.
Works Cited
Chambers, Claire. “‘Mobile Phones and the Internet, Mate’:(Social) Media, Art, and Revolution in Omar Robert Hamilton’s The City Always Wins.” Humanities, vol. 8, no. 2, 2019, p. 86.
Hamilton, Omar Robert. The City Always Wins. Faber & Faber, 2018.