Jingo

Jingo
Sir Terry Pratchett's Jingo is another favorite of mine. For the record, let's just say that all of his books are in my list of favorite books. However, some of them rank higher than others and this is definitely one of them. Published in 1997, this Watch-based book was written after a four other Watch-centric novels, meaning that the author had plenty of time to flesh out the central characters.

The story itself is a common one, one that has been covered by numerous other authors and TV shows. Thus, racism and miscommunication leading to war with foreign nations is the main theme of this novel. Of course, under Pratchett this story ends up as an entertaining and philosophical insight into the matter as opposed to coming off heavy-handed and preachy.

Now, a bit about the story itself. You know how Pratchett has mentioned Klatch (a far-off location that sounds suspiciously like an Arab country) in his previous novels? In most cases, he highlights how Ankh-Morpork folks think of the place as weird, alien and interesting in a “I like exotic food so I think of that place” sort of way. This time, the cultural differences come to the fore when a visiting dignitary from Klatch is attacked in Ankh-Morpork. Relations between the two countries go from bad to worse, especially when both sides lay claim to a mysterious island that popped up conveniently close to both nations. Now it's up to the City Watch (mainly Sir Samuel Vimes) and the Patrician to settle matters before an all-out bloodbath begins. Oh boy!

The major theme covered in this novel is understanding 'the other'. Using this concept, the author also covers racism, xenophobia as well as the human approach to war. Keeping with this way of thinking, he explores the idea that it is easier for folks to take part in a bloody war if they think of the opposing side as something completely different from themselves. He usually uses Vimes to voice these ideas. Thus, Vimes is upset that Goriff family is the target of hate crime simply because they are from Klatch. It didn't matter that half the people who turned on them were friendly customers at their shop: it only took one political incident to turn them from friend to foe. Perhaps the most heart-wrenching moment was when the Goriff family decided to leave for Klatch because of the rising antagonism in Ankh-Morpork. The younger son of the family rants about this, pointing out that he had grown up in this city and that he was really Ankh-Morporkan.

Speaking of using characters as sounding boards, Pratchett utilizes both Patrician and Vimes as the voices of reason in this matter. In matters of war, there are various takes on the issue and these two characters usually espouse some of the more sensible ideas about war. Vimes is more idealistic and thereby, ends up jaded every time he sees man's evil side. He is upset about the xenophobic attitudes towards citizens of Klatchian origin and he is also distressed at how readily folks can resort to violence and killing. Unlike the Patrician, who is calm and level-headed in almost all situations, Vimes is impulsive and will always strive to do what is right, in a somewhat dramatic, rash manner. On the other hand, the Patrician is more cynical about the human psyche and for this reason, he anticipates how folks will react in a given situation. He does not judge them as right or wrong actions; rather, he tries to steer folks towards an end-result that will be most beneficial to everyone in question. Pratchett doesn't appear to take sides when dealing with his main theme. Instead, he implies that the solution to problems like xenophobia might lie in employing views and tactics of both these characters.