Topic Chosen

The topic I chose is this one:

The conflict between the consciousness of Phaedrus and the consciousness of the narrator, and the decision of whether one is “better” (which can be defined in many ways). We are lead to believe that Phaedrus was unstable, an unsuitable husband and father, and difficult to deal with, whereas the narrator seems calm, rational, albeit still not the best father. Yet, at the conclusion of the novel, we find that Chris liked Phaedrus more than the narrator, and that the narrator felt most comfortable, most “zen” as Phaedrus. He describes being Phaedrus as “living in a dream”, and describes his current life as “living in reality”, so are we to assume that he is running away from his reality, or was Phaedrus his reality all along?

Although I usually become quite “gray” with my opinions, this is a paper, so I must choose a side. Because the novel is called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and the narrator claims his most zen state is when he is Phaedrus. Although Phaedrus was unstable, the narrator constantly reminds us of the importance of finding one’s self- what we never realized was that he was taking that very literally.

There is a reason why he underwent electroshock therapy; without a doubt, Phaedrus was not secure in the mind, but I do believe that if the narrator finds that this state is the most “zen” for him, then it would defeat the purpose of the whole novel to not agree that this was the best state for the narrator.

I.                    The narrator describes his most comfortable state as Phaedrus, despite his instability

II.                  Others around him best know him, and love him, as Phaedrus (except for John and Sylvia, who I assume he met later on), especially his own son, who greets Phaedrus at the end with “where have you been?”

III.                The analysis of his reoccurring nightmares and his inability to reach the peak of the mountain

IV.                The fact that this novel is somewhat autobiographical, so it should be applied in an honest situation; is an insane person a zen person, and is it safe let him be this way?

Thesis: The betterment of one’s self begins with finding one’s self, and in order for the narrator to achieve that, he had to become Phaedrus once more, despite plunging into insanity.