Final Term Paper

Rodrigo Simoes                        Period 1                        Mr. Shapiro                         05/05/14

The Essence of Quality

            Quality surrounds each and every individual in this world; yet, many of them do not know what quality is. Actually, many of them may think that they understand quality, however, truth is, nobody knows for sure since quality may take many different shapes and forms. This aspect is pursued in detail throughout Pirsig’s novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as the protagonist battles constantly with the pressure of figuring out the definition of quality himself.

            Before attempting to begin the journey to define quality, one must understand that it will be one of the hardest terms to define in one’s life. Pirsig demonstrates this difficulty by clearly portraying in his novel’s protagonist the difficulty and frustration he encounters while attempting to define it. The protagonist and narrator is nameless throughout the novel, and he pursues his past self by going on a motorcycle road trip across the U.S. as he does so, he finds himself in various situations where he fids himself having memories of the past and the frustration he felt when trying to define quality. Having been a philosophy professor, he had once suffered such great difficulties in defining quality that he was unable to provide his students with a definition, instead, he assigned an essay where they could brainstorm their own and provide help to the entire class the next day. The assignment shows how the professor was ashamed, and maybe even embarrassed in not being able to provide the students with a definition to such a common word, “quality”.

            The narrator’s past self was called Phaedrus. At the end of the novel the reader is given the understanding that the narrator changed his life completely to leave the soul of Phaedrus and become something else. Some factor in Phaedrus’ life was not allowing it to be enjoyable, which caused the separation between Phaedrus and the narrator. That factor was the presence of the mysterious “quality” in his life. On the narrator’s road trip, however, he finds himself pursuing that definition again, attempting to explain it to others, and debating on whether or not they understand it or if even he understands it for himself. Once when the protagonist and his son, Chris, were staying in Montana at a friend’s house, he was asked to talk about “quality” and he show he was studying it. Pirsig provided a myriad of the protagonist’s inner thoughts at this point, displaying the narrator’s difficulty and uncertainty of whether or not to try to explain as he was not sure of the definition himself and the others wouldn’t be able to understand it either. The difficulty of quality always shined through the protagonist’s actions, and the pressure of its understanding affected everyone surrounding him.

            Quality in real life is given the impression that it is common and widely known. Yet has everybody stopped to think what quality fully entails? Is quality applied in the same manner to all aspects of the real world? What does it mean to have a quality life? A quality meal? A quality workout? Maybe some deem quality to be a symbol of effort, others, a word meaning that whatever the do, success will come out of it at the end. A quality work out perhaps means that one will focus all his efforts into exercising his body to become stronger, not performing many repetitious movements for no purpose, but fewer, more concentrated ones. This brings the interpretation of quality as being an essence that takes up more time but delivers better results, which in some cases may e true, but yet does not apply to everything in life. A “quality” bed for example would not follow that definition. Does quality in this case, as pertaining to the bed, take the form of a positive describing adjective? Does it mean that the bed is durable? Comfortable? Quality in the present real world takes various shapes and is open for interpretation by all, it will never fall under one definition as it is already widely used throughout many different industries that use it as the please.

            Now throughout the novel, quality was connected with motorcycle maintenance, and especially between the styles of maintenance between John and the narrator. In this instance, the quality maintenance each character looks for entails the same purpose; give their bikes the best possible care. However, they d not entail the same type of maintenance, since both characters have different definitions of quality themselves. John’s quality maintenance for his motorcycle entails taking it to a mechanic who knows how to repair and keep a motorcycle in excellent shape, since John does not know anything about maintaining a motorcycle. In contradiction to john’s style of quality maintenance, the narrator does not trust any mechanic and prefers maintaining his motorcycle himself. To him, that is his quality maintenance, and the best solution for keeping his motorcycle in excellent shape.

            The way in which each character sees quality with their motorcycle maintenance can be used to identify how they see quality in their family relationships as well. As the narrator takes a close and personal connection with quality, and feels he can deliver the best quality there is, his relationship with Chris resembles a close father-son interaction, where any problems that arise are taken care of in a personal matter, without contacting anybody else. As for John and Sylvia however, their interactions may need an outside source. Much like John’s motorcycle gets taken care by a mechanic, their relationship is shaped to some degree by the lectures and life lessons the narrator provides throughout their trip across the nation. When one decides on how to interpret quality in his own life, that definition usually extends throughout all aspects of his life, and that is what we see in the novel with each character.

            With each person seeing quality in a different way, there is an array of different examples of how quality is used in everyday life. Ranging from many different sectors in business, to many different areas of intellectual development, quality is seen everywhere. Due to the presence of quality in everyday life, the importance of knowing what quality is for the single individual is vital. Through Pirsig’s novel one can understand the rationale behind knowing what quality is in their life, and that is, in order to have peace of mind one must know what quality stands for in their life. It can be seen through the lives of both the narrator and Phaedrus that they did not have peace of mind. What did they have in common? They suffered from not knowing how to define quality in their lives. All their struggles in life came form not knowing how to define quality. Without knowing what quality is, how are they supposed to enjoy life? How are they supposed to know if what they are doing with life is of positive quality or not? All the hardships they endure through the novel are directly related to the mysterious quality factor that embodies their lives.

            As a result of not knowing what quality is, Phaedrus was forced to let go of his self, which in turn brings about the narrator’s character. He loses his job, seems like a horrible professor and is humiliated. At the same time, the narrator, as he attempts to procure his past self and the definition of quality, ruins his relationship with Chris, as he they grow further apart throughout the novel. From what Pirsig provides in the story, one can definitely state that not knowing the definition of quality in their lives has no positive effects, but only negative. 

            Positive effects of determining what the definition of quality is in your life include many factors that will allow you to live with peace of mind. Once one has the definition marked in stone, they will understand that quality has multiple faces, different definitions but an overall same effect on every life. By conquering quality, one is able to experience pleasure, work towards positive aspects in life, and deal with other mind-boggling aspects in their lives other than being stuck in trying to find out their own definition of quality. Quality in one’s life allows for easy brainstorming, effective and efficient use of time to complete a required action and the ease of mind to focus on other struggles of life. Not knowing what quality is is a major obstacle in one’s life. It is much like a wall separating the real life from the life of struggle. Once that wall is breached, it opens their lives to a complete paradise of opportunity, free from struggles and inefficient use of time in attempting to define their quality. Everyone’s ultimate goal is to define their quality, and once that has been accomplished, their lives are theirs to take.

            My opinion of quality is straightforward, however, that is my opinion, and again, just like quality, many others may see it differently. To understand my definition of quality I have taken many different perspectives of “quality” in my life. One’s definition of quality reflects upon one’s personality. A complicated personality will have a complicated definition for their quality while a rational personality will have a rational definition for their quality. In my terms, “quality is the measure of the ratio of the effort one puts into an action and the success that results from it”. It is simple. When one puts his mind into something and is determined to accomplish a goal, at least some quality work is needed to successfully reach that goal. The quality can be measured by determining how much effort one put into his actions, and how much for that effort resulted in positive results, getting him closer to reaching is goal. The most effort and the most success results in maximum quality work while the least effort and the least positive results equals the minimum quality work. One should always lean towards maximum quality for several reasons. Not only does the most amount of effort into an action yields great learning experiences, an active mind, and a healthy self, but also, it allows for greater satisfaction, more happiness, and a chain of reactions for more success in the future when one sets his mind to maximum quality work. After all, what is the point of doing something without trying to do it to the best of your ability? If that is the case then the action is not of importance to that person, and they should pursue goals that interest them in order to take advantage of the positive entities one attains from working to their best potential and maximum quality work.

            Even though it I in ones best interest to work with quality, does that guarantee it always brings upon success? Unfortunately, absolutely not. The world we all live in is a complex, unfair, and powerful system of elements, emotions, occurrences, and disturbances in everyday life. Even though maximum quality work is the best way to attain positive results from an action, it does not guarantee success. However, what it does guarantee is the learning of exceptional set of skills, the knowledge of hardworking and the understanding of the world as it is. Planet earth is a hard place to live in, and the ability to be able to fail, learn, and move on is not only essential in life, but also present in one of the many outcomes of working with quality no matter what the final outcome turns out to be.

            Pirsig’s novel allowed for the interpretation of quality for all its readers. No only did he provide an example to be learned and followed, but also an opportunity for all to look into their own minds and find their definition of quality and what role it is and may play in the future. Quality surrounding us is asking to be reached and defined. One must only set his mind to it, and the world will open gates of opportunities to an intellectual journey leading onto uncountable positive experiences the world has to offer.

Word Count: 2009

Works Cited

Pirsig, Robert M.. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: an inquiry into             values,. New York: Morrow, 1974. Print.

Term Paper Complete

In life, every being has something that influences the decisions it makes, the actions it does and the reasons it gives. Like an engine drives a car, passion drives humans, it can cause us to start a world war just like passion can be the only reason that we are at peace with ourselves. Among the multitude of themes and ideas that Pirsig explores in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, passion is the one that stands out the most because it is this that allows for all his other complex ideas to be explained and to fall into place. 

One of the first issues that Pirsig identifies in the novel is the clash between humans and technology. The relationship between these two is very complex and cannot be easily explained. It can be said however that the way some people like the Sutherland's cannot seem to come to terms with technology, there are others like the narrator who have found a way to embrace it. The narrator uses his motorcycle as his portal to unify the human world with the world of technology. He believes, and acts upon his belief that embracing technology and learning to control it is the only way for it not to control you. The main character understand that technology is a necessary evil and that it is here to stay, instead of letting it run his life, he decides to learn to keep it under control. Pirsig uses the motorcycle to exemplify this decision. When the Sutherland’s bike breaks down, they curs it and give up, they believe that their day has been ruined because technology has destroyed it. The narrator refuses to let technology ruin his day, he decides that he will fix the bike and continue on with his plans. It is important to note that although the narrator does whatever it takes to make his technology function, he does it himself. He refuses to let other fight his battles for him, this is not to say that he is a stubborn man, there is a reason behind this. The narrator believes that the only way to do something right it to doe it oneself. He doesn't want others to cope with his technology for him because he wants it done right and thus he does it himself. His methodical ways pay off because his bike always turns on and it runs smoothly for most of the trip, and whenever it does give him problems, he always knows exactly what to do to fix it. 

His passion for motorcycles extends a bit beyond coping with technology. This passion enables the narrator to set his roots into the earth. These long motorcycle trips with his son give this man an out from all the troubles in his daily life, they allow him to clear his head and get back in touch with nature and his family. It is thanks to this passion that the narrator is able to to keep his sanity and is able to be victorious in the never ending struggle between humans and technology. 

Technology is a very interesting topic of discussion. It has made our lives significantly easier, that is the common belief, most people would tend to agree that technology has helped our world become a better place. Sure its has connected us in a way never before thought possible, technology has made traveling the world and interacting with other cultures possible, but its has also created a culture of its own. This, I would argue is not so good. The emergence of technology has created a culture of dependance that has disallowed us as humans to completely disconnect and enjoy simple things in life without feeling obliged to interact with technology. 

This leaves us with only two viable options. First, we can be like the Sutherlands and try to avoid technology as much as possible. Though the Sutherlands love their motorcycle and love riding it, they do not feel the need to keep up with the maintenance of it. They hate having to deal with it because they do not understand it. They choose to enjoy the benefits of technology without learning how it works. Though superficially this may sound good, it creates for them a situation in which their technology controls them. If their motorcycle breaks down or gets a flat tire, they are completely stranded. They have no way of controlling their technology and thus live in constant fear because they are under its control. The next option is of course to learn to control technology. This option takes much hard work and dedication but in the end, it pays off because it allows us to live free of the fear that our technology, which is made to help us, will ultimately end up hurting us. The narrator chooses this option and he uses his passion for motorcycles to accomplish his goal of controlling technology. The narrator realizes that human society has reached a point where it can no longer function to its maximum potential without technology. He decides to embrace this idea and learn to control technology before it controls him. Starting with the single piece of technology that he is most passionate about, his motorcycle, the narrator learns everything there is to know about maintaining a motorcycle, he wasn't to be the owner of his motorcycle, not a slave to it. The narrator decides that he is the person most qualified to care for his motorcycle because nobody else is as passionate about it as he is. This passion has driven him to become the type of person who embraces the ongoing technological revolution. He sees people like the Sutherlands drowning in their own misery as they are consumed by technology they cannot comprehend and he decides that he will not be a part of the group of people who are left behind. The narrator’s strive towards learning about and ultimately controlling his technology through his passion of motorcycles has allowed him to live in peace and harmony with the rest of society, both human and machine. 

Phaedrus is described almost immediately as a man with a vast knowledge not only academic but philosophical knowledge as well. He is a truly wise man. This wisdom and knowledge however is not free, he attained this through passion, a passion for learning. His passion was so strong that it ultimately led to his demise but it did however allow Phaedrus to do some good as well. HIs insatiable desire to learn led him to create a revolutionary system of education and it inspired students with a true passion for learning similar to his own.

Phaedrus realized that teaching stems from the teacher’s own desire to learn. He did all that he could to nurture that desire within his students. He strived to teach students who were really interested in expanding their horizons and extending their knowledge base beyond simply receiving a grade. A similar passion is seen through the narrator as he attempts to teach Carl the basics of motorcycle maintenance. His passion for learning every this he possibly can about caring for a motorcycle is so powerful that he strongly desires to nurture that same passion in another person. Unfortunately for the narrator, Carl does not posses a semblance of passion or desire for learning about motorcycle maintenance and for that reason, lack of passion, he is never able to learn anything on the subject. 

Phaedrus tried to inspire his students to be passionate about learning so that they would not have to suffer similar misfortune. He created a system where grades were nonexistent and a students punishment for not studying is his of her deprival of the knowledge that is being offered. Phaedrus relied on his students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and become more well rounded and knowledgeable individuals. He strived to teach students who were motivated to grow intellectually and shared a similar passion. He wanted his students to be motivated to study and learn, not for the grade that they would receive, not for the number of questions right over the number of questions wrong. He wanted students who studied and learned because they knew that is what they want, because they did not want to be left in the dark. He wanted students with a passion to see the light. 

Phaedrus’ system without grades relied on his students’ ability to see the long term rewards of learning and becoming knowledgeable. His students needed to see that it is in their best long term interest not only to learn as much material as possible in order to expand their knowledge base, but also to nurture a passion for learning. Perhaps the latter being most important. A passion for learning is essential in life for a person to be well rounded and well adapted to culture and society. 

This same passion for learning is what has driven Phaedrus to make a change in the world. He is driven by this passion to show students that hard work always pays off, that there is no need for traditional evaluation methods because each individual will some day reap the benefits of his or her own hard work. He wants his students to understand that learning is very valuable because the things you learn can never be taken from you and the passion you nurture for learning will carry you throughout your life and it is what will differentiate you from the rest. Phaedrus uses his passion for learning to show his students that curiosity really did not kill the cat, a curiosity to explore the work both natural and academic is what makes an intelligent and well rounded individual. The only way to achieve this is through a passion for learning. Phaedrus uses his to change other and make them understand what he believes is best for students. 

The narrator also employs his passion for learning to change others, this is made evident is his conversations with Carl about motorcycle maintenance. The narrator is so passionate about that topic that he will do anything to convince Carl that it is worth while. The reader can detect the frustration within the narrator when Carl refuses to see the importance and value of learning motorcycle maintenance. the narrator will not cease until he is able to change the way people view and adapt to technology. 

Works Cited

Pirsig, Robert M.. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: an inquiry into values,. New York: Morrow, 1974. Print.

Term Paper Complete

Pirsig, in the early years of his life, described as Phaedrus, reaches insanity due to the fact that he is unable to understand that the word quality cannot be defined and comprehended in a rational manner. Its significance and meaning is never ending and Phaedrus would not accept that. The more he tried to answer the question "What is quality?" the more questions he came up with because he kept searching for a logical answer. Eventually, the stress on his mind became too much to handle and he was admitted into a mental institution. Being unable to answer this question, Phaedrus became immensely depressed and underwent electroshock therapy. After he was cured, Pirsig now telling the story as himself is repeating the same type of behavior. He tries to finish what he started but was not succeeding. Before reaching a critical state and being declared insane once again, his son Chris, helped him realize that the question has no answer. Therefore, the same could be said for life itself, which cannot be understood through rational thinking either.

A "rational" mind is one that only participates in actions that are beneficial to it and yet, humans themselves seem to lack this trait. A zebra will not stand by a body of water intentionally if they knew that a hungry alligator was patiently waiting to pounce on their flesh. They stand by the water in order to drink it because they need it to stay alive, but humans on the other hand consciously put a cigarette into their mouths and with the upmost intention inhale tobacco smoke and tar into their lungs. Even with more than enough concrete evidence on how smoking can cause lung cancer and deteriorate one of the most important organs needed to live, people continue to put their life on the line, risking their health. It's true that the nicotine in cigarettes is addicting and some people may argue that they have tried to stop, but a person does not become addicted to something they have never done. In other words, why pick up that first cigarette knowing the harm it can cause? 

One of the reasons is because we can. People want to believe that they have a choice; they want to feel a sense of freedom. We have no control over outside forces and therefore compensate by having a say in what we do, in what affects us directly, even if it is threatening to our own health. Humans in general want to be able to say that they made a choice; that they decided to smoke whether they regret it later on or not because at that time they felt like they were in control. These decisions are made because people are afraid of losing the power they think they have over their own lives. While there is a psychological explanation for this, there is also an emotional one focusing on the senses. The rush obtained from tempting death, for a lack of a better expression, makes people feel alive. Smoking a cigarette can be compared to sky diving or speed racing; the adrenaline released from performing such actions although dangerous and possibly life threatening creates a type of high that temporarily clears the mind. For that amount of time, the worries of real life seem to disappear. If we behave irrationally, then how can we understand the life we live by thinking about it rationally?

            We must live in par with the way we think in order to be successful, but we can never truly accomplish that if we keep stopping ourselves from thinking. Take space for example; we all see the universe as this black empty space that encompasses the earth as well as the other planets. It contains moons, stars, black holes, even the son. Space is not that difficult to describe once you have set a limit to it. What I mean by this is that we put walls up around our thinking; we stop our minds from developing because we try to be rational beings. Space is not definite, it is boundless; it is infinite. We are more than able to acknowledge this fact, but we deny ourselves the ability to actually picture this image in our heads. When we all try to imagine space for what it is, purposely or not, we eventually stop at a certain point, creating an impenetrable force. We are either too lazy to put in the work, or this irrational thought is too overwhelming and the only way to get some meaning out of it is by cutting it off and making the thought rational. We impede ourselves from fully accepting that space is limitless because at the end of day, we cannot.

Quality is a commonly used word thrown around weightlessly in every day conversation without capturing its meaning. I myself never gave the word quality much thought until Pirsig discussed his interpretation of its significance. The dictionary definition for quality is the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind. In my eyes, quality is the degree of excellence given depending on the person and the task the object of quality is being used for. Everyone has different opinions on different things and therefore I believe that quality cannot have a universal definition, but each human creates their own personalized explanations that are somewhat similar. According to Pirsig, quality or value cannot be defined because it precedes any intellectual construction of it due to the reason that it exists as a perceptual experience before it is ever thought of descriptively. Pirsig states that quality is derived from past experiences that have shaped our likes and dislikes, but if quality cannot be defined, does it exist? How does something that cannot be described be real?  Quality cannot be defined, only understood intellectually. It is this thought exactly that forced Phaedrus to reach insanity. His never ending attempt to define quality and make that thought rational forced him to go too far. Like everyone when referring to space, Phaedrus acknowledged that quality did not have an end, but unlike everyone, he did not stop trying to picture it.

In essence, Religion is something else that man will never stop trying to picture. Religion tends to be an enormous part of people’s lives. It was created in order to give hope to humanity, in order to try and instill an inner sense of goodness rather than evil, in order to set a way of life for someone.  We give God all the responsibilities that we cannot handle. We pray when there is nothing left for us to do, when what will happen next is out of our hands. Religion is seen by most as something completely normal and many would even state that they need religion, that it creates a base for who they are. Yet, religion itself is completely irrational and calls for irrational thoughts in order for one to truly believe. Therefore, when one is practicing their religion, they are partaking in illogical thoughts and behavior. Does it seem logical, that one all mighty immortal man who lives in the clouds created the entire universe? To some, the answer is yes, anything is possible. However, if one type religion is proven factual then another religion is disproved due to their conflicting views. All religions have similarities and are all stemmed from the same place. In addition, if Catholicism was confirmed to be true, then it would no longer be considered a religion; there is no longer any believing, there is now simply knowing.

Nevertheless, it cannot be verified as false either and that’s where the problem arises. There are no absolute truths in life. When dealing with this certain topic, there are two opposing viewpoints: Creationism, the belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation Vs Darwinism, the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection. The definition for creationism does not include any specific God or biblical account which. In a way, acts as its own rebuttal; Creationism is seen as God created everything, but there are different gods in every religion, so which God was it? Which religion was right? Darwinism has its faults as well. Is it more logical that we came from two people, Adam and Eve, whom decided to pop out of thin air or that we all originated from a single celled bacterium smaller than a millimeter in length and width? Neither can be established nor falsified.  This argument has been going on for years and will continue to be a topic of discussion for centuries to come. There are illogical questions in life. If one tries to create a rational explanation for religion and how the world came to be, if one continues to try and find an answer, then they will drive themselves insane exactly like Phaedrus.

Unlike his former self, Pirsig did not reach insanity as Phaedrus did. Pirsig’s love towards his son, Chris is what stopped him from going on a downward spiral. Love is a powerful thing that could make people do things they never thought they would. Love could be described as a rational act because it causes chemical reactions, releases dopamine and makes the body react as nature intended it to, yet, are actions caused by love rational? In essence, human nature is said to be selfish, focusing on only what will give them personal benefit, but when love is brought into the equation, partners usually, or are at least supposed to put each other’s happiness before theirs. Although that does not always happen, when it does, humans are contradicting supposed human nature with a rational bodily act called love. Love is considered and seen by many as a confusing topic that will never be understood and there is reasoning behind it; love and what it entails is not rational. Hence, using normal thoughts to figure out what love is and what it means will fail to make sense and evoke further thoughts.

How is the world we live in supposed to be understood if there is not a logical explanation to every scenario? As with religion, a continuous search for how life works through logical reasons will go on forever. People have never stopped trying to find why things happen, how life works or what the meaning of life is. This is due to the fact that there is no one or concrete response to answer any of these questions without accepting that life is not normal, that it is not rational and therefore any attempt at using rational thinking will be utterly unsuccessful. But how do we know what is rational? When we consider something to be unusual or when something unexpected happens that could have never been predicted due to weird extraneous variables, then we see it as irrational and that scares many people. People find comfort in the norm, in the normal aspects of life even though most of life is not rational. But if the rationale is something humans created in order to feel safe and have a structure on how to live, then does it exist? Then, if life, like quality, has no exact or real definition, does life exist? In other words, if by every moment that passes we are closer to death, are we living or are we dying? Nothing truly makes sense and the more you try to make life reasonable and understand, the faster the possibility of becoming insane arises. 

Works Cited:
Pirsig, Robert M.. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: an inquiry into values,. New York: Morrow, 1974. Print.

Word Count: 1921

Complete Term Paper

Talia Akerman

May 4, 2014

Period 1

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Term Paper

Though not shared by all, the pursuit, desire, and even need for higher levels of intellect has become increasingly common. Nevertheless, people are striving for a level of knowledge that has, in a way, become glamorized: the published papers, the renown, even the ability to outwit enemies. However, those who are truly intellectual are some of the most inactive people in society, past or present. To have such a heightened level of knowledge actually impedes one's ability for success as it takes away to ability to communicate. 

This complication has become prevalent in many novels. Through the careful crafting of his character Phaedrus, Robert M. Pirsig is able to demonstrate the struggle that an intellectual goes and suffers through in his novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. By way of what seems to be an indirect comparison, Pirsig is able to orchestrate his characters and plot in a manner similar to Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground.

 Through the main character's account of his own life, it becomes well understood by the reader that Phaedrus is an extremely intelligent man. Nevertheless, Phaedrus in all his intellectual glory is actually much more limited than the much less intelligent average human. The biggest struggles that Phaedrus encounters seem to ironically occur behind the confined walls of the classroom and school setting. In his attempt to bring in new styles of teaching, many confront Phaedrus and ask if he is "really teaching quality this quarter" (Pirsig, p.183). The teachers ask waiting for a response, nevertheless, to them the answer has been set and it is no. The innovative methods that Phaedrus employs, including his disregard for letter grades, is too much for the "by the books" teachers to bear. They do not seem to ask out of a true concern, but rather because it does not seem to be in congruence with the manner in which everybody else teaches. 

The question of whether or not he is teaching quality ends up setting off a thought in Phaedrus that goes on for the remainder of the novel. He reluctantly replied that he is "definitely!" teaching quality, only to realize seconds later that "he [did not] have a clue as to what Quality was." (Pirsig, p. 182-4) Phaedrus' inability to define quality begins to introduce the idea of Phaedrus as an inactive man. He resembles Dostoyevsky's main character in Notes from the Underground in these moments the most. However, Phaedrus is only fairly limited where as the Underground man is limited in all aspects. They draw the most similarities in Phaedrus' repeated and entirely failed attempts to even begin to define quality. In fact, Phaedrus is so limited in defining it that he concludes that it cannot be defined at all. 

Phaedrus' inability to define quality and limitedness as a whole is a microcosm for the entire issue in and of itself. Phaedrus represents only a small part of the underground man's inability to function in society. Furthermore, Phaedrus' small issue is what eventually leads to his "destruction". Though the inability to function is detrimental to the person it affects, it seems to be a necessary evil in the world. The inactive nature of the intellectual man allows for enlightenment amongst the active men. They are able to see and comprehend the more intellectual people when said people are unable to function. When these people cannot function, they seem to exist at a standstill, which coincidentally, and ironically, seem to be the only time when the "common people" can understand them. Despite the fact that this brings enlightenment and knowledge to the rest, this inability to function halts any sort of forward motion for the human race as a whole.  

For any sort of progress to occur, be it socially, scientifically, etc. the more intelligent people need to be functioning. Nevertheless, if these people are functioning, they function at a level of understanding beyond that of the average man. The average man, being as he is named, average, cannot begin to comprehend the ways of the more intellectual persons of the world. The inability to understand stops any sort of forward movement. However, if the most intelligent people were to retard their success, humanity would be at a standstill. Therefor, this inability to communicate and understand each other is vital to the success and progression of people as a whole. 

When Phaedrus decided to challenge and manipulate the school system he was able to almost perfectly demonstrate why the discrepancy between the two types of people is necessary. When he decides to completely disregard the grading scale system and implement his own, as well as when he deciding to ask his students what the definition of quality is, many are opposed to his methods. His disregard for grades is treated skeptically by his fellow teachers and his students alike. Many proceed to question his sanity and whether or not he is teaching quality if there is no way to measure the work in terms of success. While the reader gets an in depth account of the reasoning behind throwing out the grades, neither the teachers nor the students do and that is why they are unable to understand his methods. While he is trying to make progress, even if it is rather small in perspective, he is treated with skepticism because of the lack of communication and understanding. Many told him that he "can not eliminate the degree and grading system. After all, that's what [he] is there for." (Pirsig, p. 195) Ironically so, people continue telling Phaedrus that he cannot get rid of the system for the very reason he decides to get rid of it. The other teachers and students are unable to comprehend even the most basic principle his intentions, which in turn halts the progress that it is supposed to be making. 

As the title of the novel clearly depicts, Pirsig makes use of a motorcycle in order to convey his message to his readers. The actions that occur on the motorcycle trip with the main character and his son exist as a sort of parallel for the story that is being told about Phaedrus. The vehicle itself is symbolic of the ideas that Phaedrus fails to explain to the general public, which inevitably drives him insane. 

There is no doubt that Pirsig most likely selected "the art of motorcycle maintenance" because of its simplistic nature. The motorcycle itself is a vehicle that can be broken apart and put together in a mechanical nature. With or without a set of instructions, one may "destroy" and "repair" the machine almost instinctively. It goes without saying that the simplistic nature of putting together a broken motorcycle or simply maintain a good one is much like the act of an individual trying to explain a new concept to people. An idea, just like a motorcycle, can be picked apart and put together once again. The only conceivable difference between the two "objects" is that the motorcycle in concrete while the idea is not. Despite the simplistic nature of the motorcycle and the idea, it is not something that is simple to all. In theory, both should be able to be understood by anyone. Nevertheless, in practice not everyone is able to grasp the concept. Pirsig uses the motorcycle as a symbol for Phaedrus' ideas in a way that they both seem like a puzzle. While Phaedrus and a select amount of people seem to comprehend the idea, many others do not. Going along with the "pieces of a puzzle" concept, it seems that Phaedrus and those that understand have all the pieces, while those that do not are missing a large portion of the pieces. Ironically so, Phaedrus ends up incapacitated because no one else can comprehend. Despite the fact that he is the one with the "finished puzzle" he can do nothing because the others lag so desperately behind him. 

If one takes a look into specifics, Phaedrus and Dostoyevsky's "underground man" seem to share a few ideologies. Neither of the two characters seem to thing that they are wrong in what they are saying. In other words, neither Phaedrus nor the underground man seem to think that the response they receive to their "ideas" is due to the fact that his idea could be wrong. The determination and fixation on what they believe them inevitably drives both characters insane. Nevertheless, when Notes from the Underground begins the underground man has already reached his point of insanity and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance displays Phaedrus' progression towards insanity. 

Both characters draw a high level of similarity to one another in terms of their limitations in society. Phaedrus has a confrontation with the issue of being limited when he attempts to define quality. With a certain degree of clarity, it becomes difficult for him to define quality as a single entity or a few words.  It seems that in light of this limitation he ends up saying that there is no true definition of quality. Here is where Phaedrus distinguishes himself from the underground man. While Phaedrus was highly distraught over the issue of defining quality, inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the definition is that there is no definition. In other words, he does reach a conclusion. The underground man has completely clarity and would have never been able to reach any such conclusion. He would have gone from saying that there is no definition, to switching back and forth from the possible definitions. It is evident that the underground man would behave in such a way judging from his actions in Dostoyevsky’s work. In Notes from the Underground the underground man undecidedly goes back and forth between many of his opinions; this includes those of humanity as a whole, religion, and the way humans act in a manner that is potentially dangerous to their lives. Due to the fact that the underground man has complete clarity, he is unable to commit to any of his choices. He sees equal merit in any of the arguments that he makes and thus is rendered inactive. While Phaedrus is extremely intelligent and has a certain degree of clarity, his is not equal to that of Phaedrus’.  Phaedrus spends a good portion of the novel being unable to commit to anything. However, as the reader comes to see, Phaedrus does end up committing to the idea that quality has no definition. While some might argue that not defining quality shows complete clarity, it does not. In his choice to say that quality has no definition Phaedrus is committing to something. Someone with complete clarity such as the underground man would not have been able to do that at all; he would be undecided between the idea of having a definition and not having a definition.

The differences in the degree of clarity between the two characters are also seen in the degree of alienation that the two have. The underground man has thoughts so progressive and a mentality with such a high degree of clarity that it has forced him to almost completely alienate himself from society. The greater portion of Notes from the Underground is spent with him completely secluded from society. He does, in the end, make the conscious decision to immerse himself in society. However, even that conscious attempt ends in failure as well. The underground man has thoughts at a level so much higher than the rest of the world that it pushes him away from an sort of interaction. Contrastingly though, Phaedrus has everyday interaction with all kinds of people. The only sort of alienation that he confronts is the one from himself. He is a professor at a college with what seems to be a large amount of students and does have his own child that he sees everyday on the motorcycle trip. Though it does become evident to the reader that Phaedrus temporarily alienates himself from his family and himself, he does end up “coming back” in the end of the novel.

Word Count: 2026

Works Cited 

Pirsig, Robert M.. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: an inquiry into values,. New York: Morrow, 1974. Print.