As I stated a couple posts ago, Thus Spoke Zarathustra actually applies to this part of the archetypal journey. After facing the fire dog, Zarathustra's reward is great deals of knowledge, and a new outlook on life. So, the question is, was this wisdom worth abondoning his followers, isolating himself, and basically having a mental breakdown soon after?
Well, I'd say it is. At this point, Zarathustra becomes a generally happier person, of course for him that isn't much, as he bassically hates people. Of course, this cheerfullness only comes after his breakdown during which he is more contemptful than usual. So, a complete turnaround with new wisdom, in exchange for isolation and a short-lived breakdown, sounds fair. If only those options were available to the rest of us. Would you take it?
I like this post. It does relate very well to the reward. Another question I have is was there any other rewards given or shown?
ReplyDeleteYou have a selected a few novels to address with this assignment - I would have liked to seen this expand however. You have used the text fairly consistently to help you support your ideas, and your ideas are generally very thoughtful in their connections to the journey stages. Have a bit more fun using visuals - blogs should be as visually engaging as they are intellectually.
ReplyDelete