Curiosity (Priya Dhairyawan)

     After reading these last couple of chapters, I am still left frustrated at the lack of a solid plot. It seems that each chapter consists of the narrator simply listing different thoughts he has and talking about Phaedrus. The setup of this book is different from most in that there is no standard plot that involves all of the characters; in fact, I sometimes feel that the narrator is the only character because the book is focused greatly on him. One aspect of the book that remains constant is the narrator's attachment to thinking. At one point in the last few chapters, he mentions that he would try to "develop the characters of John and Sylvia and Chris" (120-121) if he were a novelist. I think this characterization ties in very well with the narrator's character. It is now well-known that the narrator has a passion for thinking, which is a trait that would be useful for him to develop characters. He is definitely an observatory man, so his knack for watching and analyzing would be beneficial had he become a novelist. At one point, the narrator exemplifies his observatory nature when describing the cabin to his son. "I notice things about the cabin too, which I point out to Chris" (127).
     The narrator also mentions that Sylvia and John view him as "reserved and remote" (121), due to his constant thinking and removal from his physical state. I can definitely see where John and Sylvia are coming from. It is natural to think that someone who seems in his or her own world is removed from the situation because he or she is not actively participating; they probably assume it shows disinterest in a certain subject. I do, however, see how this is a problem for the narrator as well. He cannot help that he is a thinker. We can all relate to lateral thinking, when one thought leads to another and the cycle just continues until someone brings us back to reality. But this is not the narrator's fault. He is who he is and he cannot change the fact that he is a natural thinker.
     One thing that I am still curious about is that the narrator has remained nameless. Thirteen chapters have passed and the main character's name has not been revealed. I have always thought that authors leave out characters' names in order to give them less importance, but this seems odd in the case of this narrator. He is by far the most important character in the story, so I cannot help but wonder why Robert Pirsig has not provided his name.