The classic novel Zorba the Greek describes the story of two men, their wonderful friendship, and the value of living every moment. Greek working person Zorba is a larger-than-life figure who is energetic and spontaneous. He travels to Crete with the unidentified narrator to work at the narrator’s lignite mine, and the two develop an extraordinary friendship.
The two men are so different from one another: While Zorba is uncontrolled, energetic and the narrator is logical, modest, and quiet. He becomes the narrator’s best friend and a source of inspiration along the way, showing him how to enjoy life.
This is a nice story that presents life in its most natural and unfiltered form. The narrative displays a light approach to life. The nature has an important role in this book and is symbolic of the characters as well. For example, the sea reflects the atmosphere of the scene, the lignite mine represents Zorba’s passion of his job, the rain represents the characters’ sorrow, etc. The ocean has been portrayed in a way that makes it the natural world’s mirror. It shows the universal truth that, just as the human mind has a reaction for every movement in nature’s harmony, so does it. Rain is used by Kazantzakis to convey the characters’ sorrowful emotions and to set the scene’s feel.
