The Analysis of the Novel Ishmael - Essay Example

of the English of the Concerned 27 November Ishmael- an Analysis There is no denying the fact that the material andtechnological advancement of the human society has inevitably been accompanied by much environmental degradation and destruction. Yet, the irony is that the human beings are totally averse to being forewarned on this account irrespective of the fact that it is an issue that is bound to impact them in the times to come. In that context, the novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn stands to be an ingenious approach towards engaging the human conscience by contriving a teacher who is at home with both the nature that is systematically being subjected to human rapacity and the humans who have miserably failed to address this issue. Thereby, the message inherent in Ishmael is universal in its appeal and is conveyed in a manner that is engaging and thought provoking. The narrative begins with the narrator coming across a personal add, “Teacher seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world (Quinn 1)”, which leaves the narrator both disgruntled and curious. When the narrator proceeds to respond to this add, he is startled to find out that his intended teacher is not a human but a lowland gorilla with the name Ishmael, who is to convey to him the human history in an entirely new format and context. Ishmael is well read and is able to communicate telepathically with the narrator. Ishmael divides the human history into two salient trends evinced by people that are ‘takers’ who care only about human aggrandizement and greed and who betray the sacrosanct laws of nature and the leavers who are comfortable with whatever nature provides them with and live in harmony with nature. As per Ishmael, the humans are simply the captives of the narrative extended by “Mother Culture” as per which the industrial growth and progress is deemed to be a natural progression from the life of hunters and gatherers. In an astute manner Ishmael goes on to unravel the links between mythology and ethics and their eventual impact on nature. As per Ishmael, human supremacy is nothing but a misplaced cultural myth and the adherence of the contemporary civilization to this myth could give way to bitter consequences. Thereby the vantage point from which Ishmael approaches the human history tends to be way apart from the way modern humans happen to understand it. While unraveling this history, Ishmael comes out to be more of a humble salesman bent on selling his version rather than acting as a scholar. Finally Ishmael dies leaving the narrator to be the eventual inheritor of his legacy and the challenge as to how to make the humanity accept this version of the human history. The situation presented in the narrative is indeed interesting and inviting. Sustainable development and environment tend to be the topics that one happens to be familiar with in the contemporary times. However, the human approach towards understanding and grasping these concepts happens to be limited as one happens to interpret them in relation to the myths and facts left to one by the popular history. The selection of a gorilla to be the custodian of the natural wisdom happens to be both enticing and apt at the same time. Going by the fact that the humans consider themselves the dominant factor in the scheme of things, Ishmael stands to be symbolic of the nature that is at the receiving end of the human progress. At the same time Ishmael being so close to nature turns out to be readily suitable for conveying the ways of nature. Ishmael happens to be the messenger who is there to fill up for the missing wisdom in the human culture as he says that, “Mother Culture says it’s possible to have certain knowledge about things like atoms and space travel and genes, but there’s no such thing as certain knowledge about how people should live (Quinn 87).” It goes without saying that the characters in the story are utterly interesting, especially the character of Ishmael. Quinn has used Ishmael to facilitate a unique perspective on the human history. But, Ishmael happens to be a gorilla. In a regular perspective, Ishmael seems to be an unlikely character because he happens to be a character that one expects to occur in children’s literature or perhaps in science fiction. Yet, as the character of Ishmael begins to develop in the story, one finds him to be really strong and imbued with a sense of purpose. Ishmael is presented to be the custodian of the ways of nature as he says that, “if gorillas were capable of such expression, they would tell you that their family is like a hand, of which they are the fingers (Quinn 12).” The very fact that Ishmael happens to be a gorilla allows him to extend an outsiders perspective on and criticism of the human civilization, which makes the plot even more effective. In contrast the nameless narrator who grew up as an idealistic youth turns out to be a readily suitable receptacle for receiving the wisdom being taught by Ishmael. Though the narrator is sometimes self centered and cynical, yet he continues to retain the patience and poise required to listen to a prophetic teacher. Besides the narrative technique used by the author that moves both backward and forward in the entire life span of the planet earth presents the humanity with a sense of hope and purpose. The writer managed to immaculately exploit the Socratic dialogue style to deconstruct the faulty notion that the humans are the ultimate domineering force in the nature. It goes without saying that the humans tend to visualize the dilemmas facing the humanity and the nature through the faulty lens of civilization. Ishmael happened to be a character that removed that lens from the eyes of the narrator to facilitate a view that is both disturbing and astounding. By delving on the history of human civilization in correlation to the varied other facets of life, Ishmael explains as to how the humans could fit in the larger scheme of things and motivates the humanity to associate with other species on the earth for a better future. Works Cited Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit. New York: Bantam, 1995. Print. Read More