The novel The English Patient by Michael Ondaajte constructs meaning through the use of tropes, images and symbolism, instead of simply describing a linear set of events. There are many intertextual references, cover tropes, which serve to create and reinforce meaning, as well as bold images, which erect another level of meaning. Symbolism plays a vital role in shaping meaning, with fire, religion, the body of the English patient, and the desert being essential to the novel's founding concepts. The self-awareness of the novel, as well as the multiple relaying of an event, also contribute to the creation of meaning. There are many intertextual references throughout the novel, all of which serve to create and reinforce meaning. The Histories of Herodotus are constantly cited and carried everywhere by the English Patient. It talks about the enmity of East and West and their irreconcilable differences. “…wonderful deeds exhibited by the Greeks and barbarians…as well as why they fought each other. » This exercise from the Histories shows that while the East and the West can achieve great feats, they will never be able to achieve the greatest feat of all, by overcoming their differences. This foreshadows the apocalyptic dropping of the A-bomb on Japan and Kips's subsequent realization of this enmity. This is a key notion in the novel and the continual references help to highlight these differences, particularly highlighting the treatment reserved for Asian nations by the English or Western nations. This harsh conduct on the part of the English is highlighted by the English patients' use of cigarette papers to cover the text, in the same way that the dominant English cover the culture of the Indians. The English patient represents everything that is English; he is competent and “cultured”, capable of expressing himself on many “refined” subjects. This hedging trope symbolizes the dispossession of their language and government, indeed the very burial of their culture, suffered by the Indians at the hands of the English. The Stories of Herodotus also draw parallels between the love story of Katherine and the English Patient and that of Gyges and the Queen, while revealing the power of words. As Katharine tells the story, the English Patient falls in love with her, the story can be seen as the mechanism of their love affair. It becomes clear that Katharine is the queen, Clifton is Candules, while the English patient is forced to play the role of Gyges..