The Narrator's Ideas (Priya Dhairyawan)

                In the last couple of chapters, the narrator recalls his previous quote, “To travel is better than to arrive”. He talks about how he suffers slightly from depression after reaching a minor goal, and I can completely understand where he is coming from. Sometimes, the journey is better than the final destination. For example, reading a book can fit under this category. After finishing a book that is so engaging and interesting, there is bound to be a hint of sadness for the reader. Readers can become attached to books to a point where anxiety overpowers everything once the book ends. After there are no more pages to read, the reader must find a new book to fill the void. This idea is similar to that of the narrator. He claims that once the journey is over, “everything has to be reorganized” (136). I cannot help but agree. The four have been on a strict schedule for a long time, so a sudden change in routine is bound to incite reorganizing. It is understandable that the narrator will feel depressed after their journey is over; after all, he is the one who claims that the journey is better than the destination.

                The narrator also talks about conventional reasoning. “But what’s happening is that each year our old flat earth of conventional reason becomes less and less adequate to handle the experiences we have and this is creating widespread feelings of topsy-turviness” (151). This idea about conventional thinking no longer being enough as time is progressing is interesting to me. I agree that humans should try to stray away from conventional thinking. People need to think outside of the box, or else there will be no progression. Human mindsets should evolve over time, as new experiences and ideas are introduced. If old and outdated modes of thinking are still used while the rest of the world is changing, then confusion is bound to occur.

                I find some of the narrator’s ideas and theories to be particularly intriguing. While I am still not thoroughly engaged in the novel, there are some portions that I find interesting. The narrator occasionally throws in some topics and ideas that are too abstract and complicated for me to fully understand, but he balances it by mentioning topics that are interesting and relatable for a wider audience.