the cellist of sarajevo Questions & Answers

The novel follows three fictional characters—Arrow, Kenan, and Dragan—whose lives are intertwined by the real-life act of a cellist who plays Albinoni's Adagio for 22 days in the streets of Sarajevo. He does this to commemorate 22 people killed by a mortar shell while waiting for bread. The story explores how ordinary people cope with the siege of Sarajevo, navigating fear, moral dilemmas, and the struggle to maintain their humanity.

The main characters are Arrow, a young woman who becomes a sniper for the Bosnian resistance; Kenan, a family man who risks his life daily to fetch water for his family and an elderly neighbor; and Dragan, an older man who struggles to cross the city to find bread, grappling with the loss of his family and the city he once knew. The cellist, though not a viewpoint character, is the symbolic heart of the story.

The cellist's music symbolizes defiance, resilience, and the enduring power of art and humanity amidst extreme violence. His act of playing Albinoni's Adagio in a war-torn street is a protest against the dehumanization of war, a tribute to the dead, and a powerful reminder of the beauty and culture that the siege attempts to destroy. It offers a glimmer of hope and a connection to a world beyond the conflict.

Arrow struggles with her identity because she has adopted the persona of 'Arrow' to survive and perform her duties as a sniper. This identity requires her to be ruthless and detached, suppressing her former self, Alisa, to kill without remorse. Her struggle intensifies as she questions whether she can ever reclaim her humanity and shed the killer persona, fearing that becoming Alisa again would make her vulnerable and unable to protect her city.

Kenan's perilous journey to fetch water from the brewery represents the mundane yet life-threatening daily tasks faced by Sarajevo's citizens during the siege. It highlights the constant threat of snipers and mortar fire, the physical exhaustion, and the psychological toll of living under such conditions. His struggle underscores the loss of normalcy and the immense effort required for basic survival, making every trip a testament to resilience.

Dragan's biggest internal conflict is his struggle to maintain his humanity and connection with others in a city where civility and compassion seem to have vanished. He initially tries to avoid eye contact and interaction, believing it's safer to remain isolated. However, witnessing acts of kindness and cruelty forces him to confront his own apathy and decide whether to succumb to despair or embrace the shared humanity of his fellow citizens.

Steven Galloway uses the setting of Sarajevo during the siege as a character itself, a constant, oppressive presence that shapes the lives and choices of the protagonists. The ruined buildings, sniper-infested streets, and scarcity of resources are not just background but active forces. The city's transformation from a vibrant cultural hub to a landscape of fear and death mirrors the internal struggles and moral compromises of its inhabitants, emphasizing the war's destructive power.

The title signifies the central role of the cellist's act of defiance and remembrance. While the cellist is not a viewpoint character, his decision to play Albinoni's Adagio for 22 days after a mortar attack serves as the catalyst and moral compass for the entire narrative. He represents the enduring spirit of humanity and art in the face of barbarity, inspiring the other characters to reflect on their own choices and humanity amidst the siege.

The characters maintain their humanity through small acts of kindness, defiance, and remembrance. Kenan risks his life for his family and an elderly neighbor. Dragan eventually chooses to help strangers, overcoming his initial apathy. Arrow, despite her role as a sniper, ultimately refuses to become a soulless killer. The cellist's music itself is a powerful act of humanity, reminding everyone of what they are fighting to preserve beyond mere survival.

Fear is a constant, pervasive force in the lives of the characters, dictating their movements, thoughts, and interactions. It shapes their decisions, from Kenan's careful route planning to Arrow's ruthless efficiency. Fear of snipers, mortar shells, and starvation isolates them and erodes trust. However, the novel also shows characters pushing past fear to perform acts of courage, demonstrating that while fear is powerful, it does not always triumph over humanity.

The author's message about the power of art is that it can be a profound act of resistance, a source of hope, and a reminder of humanity's enduring spirit even in the darkest times. The cellist's music, played amidst destruction, transcends the immediate violence, connecting people to beauty, memory, and a shared culture that the war seeks to obliterate. It demonstrates art's ability to provide solace, defiance, and a reason to live.

The novel explores morality in wartime through the difficult choices faced by its characters. Arrow grapples with the morality of killing, even in defense. Kenan questions the ethics of prioritizing his family's needs over others. Dragan struggles with apathy versus intervention. Galloway shows that war blurs moral lines, forcing individuals to make compromises, but also highlights the enduring human capacity for compassion and the struggle to uphold ethical principles even under extreme duress.

The three narrative threads are interconnected by their shared experience of the siege of Sarajevo and their indirect connection to the cellist's music. While their paths rarely directly cross, their stories collectively illustrate different facets of survival, moral struggle, and the search for meaning. The cellist's act serves as a symbolic anchor, influencing their individual journeys towards reclaiming or preserving their humanity in a fragmented world.

Spoiler: At the end of the book, Arrow makes a conscious decision to reclaim her identity as Alisa and refuses to continue killing without a moral compass. After being ordered to kill an innocent man to send a message, she instead kills her commanding officer, Nermin, who gave the order. This act is her final rejection of the dehumanizing role she adopted, choosing to die as Alisa rather than live as the soulless killer 'Arrow.' She is then killed by enemy snipers.

Readers can learn that resilience is not just about enduring hardship, but about actively choosing to maintain one's humanity, dignity, and hope in the face of overwhelming adversity. The characters demonstrate resilience through their daily struggles for survival, their small acts of kindness, and their refusal to let the war completely strip them of their identity and compassion. It shows that resilience is a continuous, often quiet, act of defiance.

The novel vividly depicts the psychological toll of war through the characters' constant fear, paranoia, and the erosion of their sense of self. Kenan experiences anxiety and guilt, Dragan struggles with apathy and isolation, and Arrow battles with the dehumanization required for her role as a sniper. The pervasive threat of death, the loss of normalcy, and the moral compromises leave deep psychological scars, highlighting the profound and lasting impact of conflict on the human mind.

The bridge in Dragan's story is a powerful symbol of connection, transition, and the fragile line between life and death. It represents a physical and psychological barrier that Dragan must cross, both literally to reach the bakery and metaphorically to reconnect with humanity. His encounters on the bridge, particularly with the woman and her child, force him to confront his detachment and ultimately choose to engage with the suffering of others, symbolizing a crossing back into compassion.

The novel challenges traditional ideas of heroism by focusing on the quiet, everyday acts of courage performed by ordinary people. Kenan's trips for water, Dragan's eventual decision to help strangers, and Arrow's internal struggle to maintain her moral integrity are presented as heroic in their own right, rather than grand, battlefield heroics. It suggests that true heroism in wartime often lies in the preservation of humanity and dignity amidst overwhelming despair, not just in fighting.

The "men on the hills" represent the unseen, anonymous enemy besieging Sarajevo. They are the source of the constant mortar fire and sniper attacks, a faceless threat that instills pervasive fear and dictates the daily lives of the city's inhabitants. Their anonymity underscores the senselessness and impersonal nature of the conflict, making them a constant, terrifying presence that symbolizes the external forces attempting to destroy the city and its people.

The novel portrays the loss of normalcy by showing how basic, everyday activities become life-threatening ordeals. Simple tasks like fetching water, buying bread, or crossing a street are fraught with danger. The absence of electricity, running water, and communication further strips away the conveniences of modern life. This stark contrast between past normalcy and present chaos highlights the profound disruption of war, forcing characters to adapt to an existence where survival is the primary concern.