One Night at the call center as the self help book
“A self-help book is one that is written with the intention to instruct its readers on solving personal problems. The books take their name from Self-Help, an 1859 best-seller by Samuel Smiles, but are also known and classified under "self-improvement", a term that is a modernized version of self-help. Self-help books moved from a niche position to being a postmodern cultural phenomenon in the late twentieth century.”
We can say that self-help books mean books that represent the reality of the time. Self-help books show the real image of society and we also learn in the self-help book. With the help of self-help books, readers solve their problems and also improve themselves. Self-help books present modern culture.
Some Famous examples of the self-help book:
Some social observers have suggested that the ‘Bible’ is really the first and most significant and most helpful self-help book.
Act Like a Lady, Think like a Man. –by Steve Harvey.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. – by Dale Carnegive.
How To Solve Our Human Problems . by Geshe Kelsany Gyatso.
The Magic of Thinking Big.- by David Schwartz.
Unlimited Power. –by Anthony Robbins.
Characteristics of the Self-help book:
Self-help books often focus on popular psychology such as romantic relationships, or aspects of the mind and human behavior which believers in self-help feel can be controlled with effort.
Self-help books typically advertise themselves as being able to increase self-awareness and performance, including satisfaction with one's life. They often say that they can help you achieve this more quickly than with conventional therapies.
In the self-help book story about problems of life and how they live in their life. Writers use characters who suffer in their life. Characters share experience and enable them to give each other support. In these books we find that writers present the real life situation of the people.
Now, Let’s see how Chetan Bhagat’s book: ‘One night @the Call Center’ is Self-help book?
In the book all six characters, who work in one call center, and also every character suffer in their personal life. The themes involve the anxieties and insecurities of the rising Indian middle class including questions about career inadequacy, marriage, family, conflict in changing India, and the relationship of the young Indian middle class to both executives and ordinary clients whom they serve in the United states.
There is an aspect of self-help in the book as the author invites readers two identify aspects of themselves and their lives that make them angry and that they would like to change. Here we see that all characters present the real life situation of the people. In the story we see that character of Shyam, who almost lost his love. Character of Radhika is in an unhappy marriage with a demanding mother-in-law. Character of Military Uncle, who wants to talk to his grandson. Character of Mr.Bakshi, who is the boss of the call center, all hate them because of their cruel and somehow sadistic behavior.
So here we see that all characters suffer in their life. Also these are all problems we find in our real life and also in society. With help of this type of book we find a solution to the problem. Chetan Bhagat’s present the real life situation of the people and how they all manage their lives.
Here the author has tried to portray the world of the call centers. Book presents the post-modern phenomena. In this book we find that every character suffers from a different problem, but then they all live and fight with their situation. They all struggle in different ways. Chetan Bhagat shows the reality of people’s life and they all live their lives.
In Chetan Bhagat all books we see that he gives one activity on one page, this page shows the self-help book's most important Characteristics.
In One Night @ the Call Center he gives activity like this:
Before you begin this book, I have a small request. Right here, not down three things. Write down something that
1) You fear,
2) Makes you angry and
3) You don’t like yourself.
Be honest, and write something that is meaningful to you.
Do not think too much about why I am asking you to do this just do it.
One thing I Fear:
One thing about that makes me angry:
One thing I do not like about myself.
Okay, now forget about this exercise and enjoy the story.
Here we see that Chetan Bhagat gives one small exercise, in this exercise he asks some questions, and those three questions about our personal thing. All three questions about our own self. He asks like our fear, when we are angry and do not like ourselves. So these all things present that Chetan Bhagat saw that our self.
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