Double entry journal about "The Ninja"

Previously on this blog I wrote about the book "The ninja" by Eric van Lustbader. Now I will go a little deeper into the book, and write a double entry journal about a relationship in the book and an important conflict.  

From the book	Your own reflection
Relationship "It seemed to Nicholas that the other boy hated him almost on sight. Why this should be so he could not imagine. Not until much later. But then he reacted as any boy in any part of the world might do to such unadulterated hostility. He returned measure for measure." Page 100	There are many relationships in the ninja, but I think the most important one is the relationship between the main character Nicholas Linnear and his cousin Saigõ. Nicholas first met Saigõ when he moved from Singapore to Tokyo in Japan. Saigõ was one year older than him and they immediately didn't like each other. The quote that I wrote is from the first time they see each other. You can tell from the start that this will be a bitter rivalry. Both Nicholas and Saigõ train in the art of bujutsu, Japanese martial arts. Even though Saigõ has been training the longest Nicholas is quickly catching on. The turning point in their relationship is when Nicholas manages to beat the more experienced Saigõ in a match. Saigõ is dishonored and not long after that he joins another secret dojo. We later discover that this is when he became a ninja. The relationship between Nicholas and Saigõ is also deeply characterized by their family. Their fathers never liked each other because of both personal and political reasons.  Nicholas and Saigõ also fall for the same girl, Yukio.
Conflicts "'He'll be coming soon now.' 'Coming? Who?' 'Saigõ. The ninja.' Page 492	The main conflict in the book is the conflict between Nicholas and Saigõ. This is a conflict that began when they where kids, and kept growing until the last showdown in the book.  The quote that I wrote is from right before the big showdown. Nicholas has just found out that the ninja who has been killing his friends, among other people, and who has been playing with the police is his cousin Saigõ. He also realizes that Saigõ is now also after him. Their blood rivalry runs so deep that Nicholas always knew Saigõ would someday come after him. When they last parted Saigõ beat Nicholas and left with Yukio, who they both loved. After that Nicholas needed to become a ninja in order to stand a chance against Saigõ. We don’t realize that Nicholas is a ninja until right before the big showdown, and Saigõ realizes it midflight. Based on this we can say that this conflict is a conflict between two ninjas. It is very essential to the book since the entire story is based on it.