Philosophy Class

            As I read through chapter 11, I constantly felt like I was listening to a professor ramble on and on about philosophy and the theories of famous philosophers. Unfortunately for me, this type of talk does not interest me and I realized I constantly drifted away from the reading.

            The way the narrator transitions from what is literally happening to a philosophy lecture annoys me. Especially when the group was on their way up to the high country. The narrator connects his travel to the high country with the high country of the mind, and he keeps explaining how thoughts and ideas are organized within the brain and how each person thinks differently. How objects in life are perceived, and how the senses see them, if they see them at all, and how a person would see life if he had no senses, and how a motorcycle displays different views for different people by the way they perceive it and so on, these thoughts just didn’t get to me.

            One aspect that I thought moved me forward with the novel was how the narrator provided much more background information on Phaedrus. Before I was not quite sure what he did in life, now I know, (and should have guessed) that he was a philosophy student that traveled around the world and had much diversity. He then settled in the Midwest and kind of gave up all of his previous effort in philosophy. Bu I feel there is still an aspect missing about his life that the narrator has yet to reveal.

            The narrator’s action of retracing Phaedrus’ steps throughout the Midwest brings questions to my mind. I still do not know what is the relationship between Phaedrus and the narrator. How does the narrator know so much about Phaedrus? About what Phaedrus said to different people, being in Philosophy class or to Mr. Deewee? We keep getting numerous accounts of Phaedrus actions and his philosophical life but are left without the connection back to the narrator. I am eager to discover the relationship between these two complicated and mysterious characters.

            Meanwhile, I will keep reading to find out more about the group’s travels through the Midwest, the narrators constant urge to retrace Phaedrus’ steps, and have to withstand the countless more philosophy lectures I am sure on their way.