CHAPTER X--THE MAJOR’S CABIN

I. THIS CHAPTER MOMENTARILY HALTS SOPHIE'S INVESTIGATION, AND IN SO DOING, PROVIDES CONSIDERABLE HINTS THAT WILL FORESHADOW LATER MOMENTS SOPHIE AND SOMEONE ELSE WILL EXPERIENCE.

A. WAS SHE FATED TO DISCOVER A RED-PAINTED CABIN FILLED WITH BOOKS AND A MIRROR? THE MIRROR WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT FORESHADOWING IMPLICATIONS. WATCH FOR ITS LITERAL AND METAPHORIC CONNOTATIONS. THE CABIN IS NEAR A DOCK WITH A ROWBOAT. BOTH WILL APPEAR LATER.

B. SOPHIE AND THE PAINTINGS:

1. THE OLD HOUSE---CALLED BJERKELY
2. THE MAN--BERKELEY painted by SMIBERT

II. WHAT HAPPENS TO SOPHIE IN THE HOUSE (P. 96 ff)? ADD THESE EVENTS TO YOUR LIST OF IMPROBABILITIES:

A. HOW DID SHE SEE THE IMAGE WINK BACK?

B. THE GREEN WALLET WITH HILDE’S NAME

C. WHITE ENVELOPE WITH SOPHIE ON IT...

D. AS A HINT, REMEMBER THE MIMETIC THEORY...

III. SOPHIE TOOK THE WHITE ENVELOPE. SHOULD SHE HAVE? WHO WANTS HER TO?

A. CHICKEN AND THE IDEA OF THE CHICKEN. HOW WOULD PLATO AND ARISTOTLE REACT?

B. ARE WE BORN WITH INNATE IDEAS?

C. RECALL THAT THE GREEKS BELIEVED PLANT, ANIMALS AND HUMANS HAD SOULS (ANIMA), BUT THE LOWER ORDER ON THE SCALE (CHAIN OF BEING) DID NOT HAVE THE QUALITIES OF THE HIGHER ORGANISMS. WHAT MAKES MAN'S SOUL DIFFER FROM THE REST?

1. MAN'S SOUL IS RATIONAL (THE CHURCH WILL EQUATE WITH THE DIVINE SPARK GOD GIVES US; WE ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE)
2. SENSITIVE SOULS ARE COMMON TO ANIMALS. THEY REACT EMOTIONALLY TO STIMULI, AND EVEN COMMUNICATE LINGUISTICALLY, BUT DO NOT HAVE RATIONAL SOULS.
3. VEGETAL SOULS ARE COMMON TO PLANTS.

D. WHY DOES IT RAIN?

E. WHAT IS THE GOOD LIFE?

IV. WHAT DID SOPHIE NOT TELL HER MOTHER ABOUT THE TRIP, AND WHY DOES SHE CRY? (P. 99). NOTICE HER MOTHER REFERS TO THE MAJOR AS A LITTLE CRAZY. GAARDER AND PLATO ARE NOT AFRAID TO USE IRONY: VERBAL, SITUATIONAL, ROMANTIC AND DRAMATIC. WHICH IS IN EVIDENCE HERE?

V. THE MAJOR’S CABIN:

A. SOPHIE IS A DYNAMIC CHARACTER; SHE HAS LOTS OF QUESTIONS FOR ALBERTO.

B. SHE THUS WRITES TO KNOX HOPING TO SYNTHESIZE PLATO'S PHILOSOPHY AND HER LIFE AS A PHILOSOPHY STUDENT:

1. Is he really right about the mind's ability to recollect? She thinks of her grandmother.
2. Sophie refers to the mirror as MAGIC (P. 100). That word will reappear many times as the novel continues.
   

VI. SUMMARY: SOPHIE’S CONTEMPLATION OF PLATO:

A. THE QUESTION OF INNATE IDEAS ANTICIPATES DESCARTES.

B. HOW CAN YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF X IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN X IN THE SENSE WORLD?

C. DO ANIMALS THINK, AND DO THEY HAVE SOULS?

D. WHAT CAUSES RAIN?. GIVEN SOPHIE'S DEVELOPMENT THUS FAR, WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS WAYS THE QUESTION MIGHT BE ANSWERED?

E. WHAT CONSTITUTES THE GOOD LIFE--WARMTH, LOVE, MONEY, CARE ?

VII. ONE OF THE MOST PHILOSOPHICALLY VIBRANT MOMENTS IN THE NOVEL WILL CONCERN A BIRTHDAY PARTY. ON PAGES 102-103, SOPHIE AND HER MOTHER DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITIES.