Peace of Mind and its Implications (Zane Mandell)

            It is getting as complicated as ever but it seems we are entering a point where we shall learn more about our interesting narrator with a troubled past. Upon finish the second part of this novel I feel that I know that narrator better than he knows himself. I know what he is thinking, though not always how he is thinking about it, but I feel like Pirsig has done an excellent job getting into the mind of the narrator. The mind seems to come up as a big topic in this week’s reading along with being a major topic throughout the novel. It is obvious that the narrator went through something very traumatic but that thing is only starting to become available to the reader. It seems that the root of the issue is his understanding of the idea of ‘quality’ and how it can possibly be explained. The traumatic event is what has led the narration of the entire novel to attain this split between the old self which he refers to as Phaedrus and the new self which is who the reader follows. This sense of mystery in what has taken place before is the major driving force for me to continue this novel.

Moving off of that statement I do enjoy the philosophical debates on the state of mind and how it affects the perception on everything else. The narrator explains this idea that he has sat upon “for over 20 years” and goes into detail on the subject of peace of mind and the rotisserie. While there are points where I do get lost in his train of thought, just like DeWeese and company, I get the overall idea that everything begins with the mind and if you aren't willing to accept something there then there will always be a problem, you can’t forgo something forever.

The topic of the mind intrigues me and I how that it get more attention as the novel continues onward. But I feel like it needs to be said though it will be reiterated by other again and again – Pirsig gets lost in his Chautauqua’s way to often and I believe that it detracts from the book. I get that he has thought over these subject for a long time, and that he is trying to capture the thought process behind it all but it sometimes get a little out of hand. But this is now proven by John, Sylvia, DeWeese, and the other and it all continues. The fact that he is self-aware of this problem makes me cringe and I hope that there is some clarity that comes out of all of this, and it better be soon.