Harmony (Zane Mandell)

Reading this novel is becoming more and more like wading through the thickest muck in a swamp. The narrator is going so deep into his thoughts that it is nearly impossible for the reader to follow. There are certain points where I am able to see a culmination of various thoughts and discussions but it is very challenging to follow the mindset and though process of the narrator. It is obvious that he has direction and has laid a solid foundation; I am just having trouble identifying what that is.

Having said this I was able to clearly see this major turning point in the Chautauquas dealing with Phaedrus. His study into quality found that he was looking at it all wrong. Quality is a completely separate entity, a third part of the puzzle. It couldn’t fall under the romantic mindset nor could it be placed under the classical one. So he came to conclusion that it is the midpoint by which the two are connected, it is definitely something that is there it just cannot be defined. Not only can it not be defined but Phaedrus comes to the conclusion that any attempt to defined quality undermines the whole system and renders everything invalid.

This is verbose and complex material that the narrator is trying to get at. But it seems as the narrator escapes momentarily from a Chautauqua that he is dealing with something, a problem that is rooted so deep, the narrator is not even sure whether there is a problem. This most prominently emerges in the dream that takes place in Chapter 23. It brings up different topics such as death, family, and love. We now know that the narrator is afraid, he admits to it too. He owns the idea that he has fear, while recognizing that Phaedrus and his son never show it. This brings up many pressing questions that need to be answered. But at the moment there is one that strikes me as being of the utmost importance. Why is the narrator trying to relive the past? As we have previously discussed it is obvious that he is trying to recollect the thoughts and teachings of his previous self, who he refers to as Phaedrus. But that doesn’t answer my question. What I am trying to get at is why he has chosen to go where Phaedrus lived and try to take in all of that which occurred in the past. At this moment I believe that he is seeking harmony, but not within himself. He is trying to reach peace with all of those around him, by keeping his son closest. The next step that he needs to make is realizing there is a problem within himself. Hopefully this dream will allow him to wake up.