Father and son

            These chapters really emphasized the relationship Chris and the narrator seem to have. I find it very sad, but they are not the only people who have the sort of relationship. There are many parents that do not understand their children and cannot connect to him. The first dream the narrator has is significant because it shows he is becoming aware of how distant they truly are. There is a glass door between them. He does nothing to try to open it and communicate. That is how he is acting throughout his lifetime. He says he will meet Chris on the mountaintop, where they never end up going, and the narrator speaks of symbols that represent the loss of control in their relationship. They are his fault though, and there is no one else to blame. They both need to make an effort in having a father-son relationship. But the narrator seems to always disappoint his son. It is so sad. Then they somewhat connect, and Chris begins to be burdened by the same load as his father. But Chris has this sense of competitiveness. With his own father! I do not understand what reason there is to be competitive. In whose eyes, other than in theirs, do they need to compete? This occurs as they descend from the mountain. Then the second dream caught me off guard. The same glass door was present, but the narrator was in a coffin. His family was paying their respects and he felt grateful for this. I honestly have always thought it was a given that one’s family would go and pay their respects. The narrator really wants to communicate with his son. He finds this difficult, especially due to the shadow figure, and decides to try anyways. This gave me hope in their relationship because he tried to fix it in his dream.

            Apart from the emphasis on their relationship, there is Zen, scenery, and philosophy mixed in. These are the parts of the story that I get confused. I no longer want to be confused. I want to have clarity on what is happening and understand the philosophy and thoughts behind it. I want to know more about Phaedrus. There are so many questions that I have. I want an explanation. I thought I understood the concept of Quality, but now he spoke of whether it was subjective or objective, and the fact that it is the force behind religion. How does this all correlate?