This is me popping my Year 12 text response cherry. Its not very good.
'To take on the lighter bond of being simply a man. Perhaps that is the real gift I have to bring him. Perhaps that is the ransom.' Discuss the significance of the title of Malouf's novel
Malouf in his novel Ransom, predominantly explores an aspect of the Trojan war rarely discussed, being King Priam's journey with a Carter to retrieve his son Hector's body. Through this, Malouf's motives for the title Ransom are evident in that it will involve an actual ransom - that is, "the price paid" to retrieve something important. However, as a result of the intriguing plethora of instances throughout the novel which are applicable with the title, "the ransom" - i.e. the actual ransom as alluded to by Priam - is ambiguous, and something which Malouf is encouraging the reader to question from the point they first glance at the title. Furthermore, the title also doubles as a subtle reference to Priam himself, in that Priam also means "ransomed".
It is no coincidence that Priam, arguably the most important character in the novel, has a name which translates to "ransomed", in fact, ransoms have played a large part in his life. As a child, Priam was saved by sister Hesione from the shackles of Demi-god Heracles, in exchange for his name, which as previously Podarces, to become Priam. Consequently, his new name is forever a haunting reminder of that point in time, that near death at the hands of a ruthless greek hero. In his unprecedented and moving account to his wife Hecuba, Priam shamefully admits that he was inches away from "the road to slavery", keeping it suppressed, although it is something that he "can never rub off". It could be argued that his life has been moulded and manipulated through a ransom, in the sense that it was the ransom which, for better or worse, ensured that he would continue his life as the "son of Laomedon, King of Troy", unable to forget about it because through his name he would always be reminded that he was "ransomed".
Furthermore, the ransom which serves to influence the remainder of Priam's life, is thoroughly explored in Part III. In order to retrieve his son Hector's body from the "jackal" Achilles, Priam partakes in an notion recognised to be on par with taboo in Troy, and that is "chance". Risking his life because of a vision he had, Priam decides to cover all bases in terms of a ransom, choosing to not only provide royal items of monetary worth, but also rid himself of any sign of being a king. By placing less emphasis on the nature of the royal items offered, and instead acknowledging through Priam of the possibility that having no "signs of kingship on him" could be the "real gift" he has to offer, Malouf creates a dichotomy between the two, to perhaps emphasise the importance of a bold move to sacrifice a high social status over material possessions.
Ultimately, when Achilles and Priam do meet, both characters gain much more from the experience of the ransom than Priam had envisaged. Priam does not leave solely with Hector's body, but as a "man remade" from his newfound experiences, a much needed revitalization which allowed him to enjoy the remainder of his life. It is in the nature of the novel, that this could also be seen as a ransom, in the spiritual sense, since Priam paid the price of his royal status, to in return receive a new lease on life. Meanwhile, Achilles, ignoring the royal items, does not leave empty handed either, as Priam's heartfelt speech and "evocation of the boy Neoptolemus" which was "the break" he was hoping for, "something new and unimaginable" to "break the spell" that "wastes his spirit in despair". Complimentarily, this could also be seen as a ransom, in that in exchange for Hector's body, Achilles receives a "real gift" in a simple minded Priam who is able to help him return to an appropriate mind state.
Ransom, as a title, is crucial to the novel's structure, since it acts as a constant reminder to the reader that ransoms are prominent throughout the novel and must be noted. A title's relevance to the novel is something that all readers would look upon, and if the title of the novel was not ransom, this would in turn mean that readers may pay less attention to ransom, when the crux of the novel lies with Priam's journey and eventual encounter with Achilles.
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