Reading Log - Novel Mountain Wolf

Mountain Wolf by Rosanne Hawke is about a series of events that happened to a young 14 year old boy, initially set in a small village surrounded by mountains in Pakistan. The story of the young boy named Razaq and the events that follow all started with a natural disaster.

Throughout the novel Razaq was always willing to put the lives he cared about before his. For instance at the beginning of the story an earthquake hit his village killing everyone in his family expect for him. Despite Razaq finding and burying the corps of his dead father he was able to find shelter at his "aunts" house, in return he protected, feed, and supplied for the old whito. During this time a man by the name of Ikram approached Mrs Daud and offered a deal she couldn't refuse. The deal was to give Mrs Daud three hundred rupees, take Razaq away to give him a job and send money home for the old witto until he made enough for her to live on then return. But Razaq refused to leave her because "there was nothing for him there" and he "brought her food", however Mrs dauds wishes was for Razaq to make more money so he did as she asked and left his village. This proves that Razaq was willing to go the extra mile for those he cared about as he went against his own feelings to help this old lady.

From that point forward Razaq was relocated more then once and sold into slavery repeatedly. He was tought to give massages to customers and if ever asked "what else do you do" to always reply with "whatever you want" or else be punished. Considering the position Razaq was in I don't think what he was made to do was wrong at all. Razaq was forced into trafficking and slavery. All was not bad as he meet the love of his life in their, she too was taken and forced into it, just as they all had been. At one stage Razaq even said "the police say we are criminals" followed by "but it isn't our choice", this made me feel empathetic towards Razaq and every other boy and girl that was some how forced into that position especially how the police, the people that you turn to when you need their help and safety go out and call you a criminal for something you arnt in control of.

When Mrs Mumtaz, the brains behind his freedom was pleased with the work he had done he would get rewarded by getting to "eat very well" if he kept it up and having the privilege he wouldn't usually receive that was to be getting to "feel the fresh air". That was what Mrs Mumtaz referred to as "going way too easy". However if and when Razaq did act out and refuse he would be punished by getting locked in his little room for twenty four hours, seven days a week, only seeing light when there were customers or he had a fortune of eating. Razaq told his old friend, Danyal "do not let them take your whole self" because they had "given us these feelings of dirt and shame". This showed me how rough they must have had it, to be pushed to that level of self doubt that your only advice for someone being forcibly shoved into your position was to "not let them brake you".