My Family And Other Animals By Durell

Essay, Research Paper

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 leaves Corfu, their home, to

return after five years, to England. During their time in Corfu, the Durrells

come upon a variety of different people all of whom contribute to the story in

their own unique way. Among this group of people, the ones that are imprinted in

my mind are Spiro, Kralefsky, and Lugaretzia the maid. Even though they are real

characters, many of them are so eccentric that they often seem exaggerated in

the things that they do an

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