My Family And Other Animals By Durell Essays -

My Family And Other Animals By Durell My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell is a novel concerning an English family, the Durrells, who suddenly leave their home in Britain in order to move to the Greek island of Corfu. This book is told from the viewpoint of Gerald Durrell, the youngest member of the family, who gives a detailed account of certain incidents that are imprinted in his mind, of the family's five year stay in Corfu. Many of the anecdotes capture the most interesting of the family's encounters with the island and it's inhabitants but the main theme is of two intertwined worlds; that of animals and wildlife, with that of people. Because of Gerry and his extreme love of nature, many of his pets and family members meet frequently, resulting in chaotic situations. Once in Corfu, the Durrells encounter a great number of characters that are both eccentric and a little flamboyant and it is these characters on which the story is based, along with the many pets that Gerry acquires throughout his time in Greece. It is from these characters and their outlandish ways that much of the entertainment comes and to the reader, it may often seem, that even though My Family and Other Animals is a true story, that the island and its inhabitants are slightly exaggerated. Upon arrival in Corfu, the Durrells face a number of problems in finding a villa and understanding the Greek language. When having difficulty communicating with taxi drivers, the family meets one of the most amusing and significant characters in the story, Spiro. This individual helps the Durrells through their dilemmas in finding a suitable villa, dealing with the Customs official and generally in settling in and getting started in a new place with a new life. Throughout this time, Gerry, a young naturalist, finds much pleasure in roaming the island and discovering all of Mother Nature's creations. During these expeditions, he meets a great many people all of whom with which he soon becomes acquainted. On these daily explorations, Gerry soon comes across a curious man, from whom he buys his first pet, a turtle. This character, because of the innumerable rose beetles he keeps, soon comes to be known as the Rose-Beetle Man. After only a few weeks in Corfu, the family comes across another problem, the necessity for Gerry to have a proper education. To resolve the situation as promptly as possible, it is arranged that George, an old writing friend of Larry's (Gerry's oldest brother) be left with the task of teaching Gerry. Through George, Gerry soon comes to meet Doctor Theodore Stephanides, an expert naturalist, with whom he soon becomes close friends. Both share a great love for natural history and in a short time Gerry becomes Theodore's companion . After a relatively short time in Corfu, the family decides that they must move villa in order to accommodate a multitude of Larry's guests. Because of this unexpected move, Gerry, again, is left without any source of education and as a result it is arranged that he be tutored by the Belgian consul (George no longer tutors Gerry). Outside of his regular lessons, Gerry spends most of his time learning as much as he possibly can about all the species of wildlife that roam the island and soon obtains an immense number of pets including three dogs, two magpies, a gull, a pigeon, snakes and a gecko. Once again, as he is in a new environment, Gerry spends his time investigating his surroundings and becoming familiar with nature. He continues with his education but not long after this move, the Durrells move again for various different reasons. As the Belgian consul can no longer teach Gerry in their new location, yet another tutor is found for him; a person by the name of Kralefsky who appears to be an eccentric bird-lover. As both Kralefsky and Gerry share the same interests, they become immediate friends and even though Gerry is not too keen on his lessons, he learns a great deal about ornithology. With all of these fascinating characters on the island, and Gerry's menagerie of animals, the Durrells five year stay in Corfu is full of excitement and peculiar encounters. The novel concludes when it is decided, by Mr. Kralefsky and Mrs. Durrell, that the time had come for Gerry to go somewhere else in Europe to finish his education. Because of this, the Durrells' vacation comes to a close when the entire family packs up all their belongings and