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| "The Gray Tree" (1911) by Piet Mondrian |
Consider the tree analogy of the chapter and whether it can be detected in other aspects of the novel. How might the basic insight offered by this analogy be useful (or problematic) as a way to think about life?
The tree analogy in this chapter is definitely detected in other aspects of the novel. A reoccurring theme of this novel is that our choices define what happens to us. Choosing one option over another could result in a completely different outcome than the other option. We all start from the very bottom as young children but as we grow, we are faced with a multitude of choices some with more of an impact than others. All of us in this program chose college as our choice but what if we didn’t? What if we chose a completely different path instead? Who knows where we would be? We may still do some of the same things because of past choices and other things may be completely different. We may still live in the same town but wouldn’t have made some of the friends we have now. We all start in the same place, but life is a long journey with plenty of twists and turns. This information could be helpful to some by showing that what we do really matters but others could take this information the wrong way and only regret the decisions they have made and wonder what could have been, overall I think this is a good thing to keep in mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Maddox. We see this analogy everytime she picks a new life to take on. With each thing she changes, tiny or large, a different life always appears. I believe that keeping hold of this analogy is useful as well. I like what you referred to about us going to college because it is an impactful choice that can completely change our future. What we do right now really does matter. The people we befriend, the classes we take, the major we pick, and so much more is going to constantly change our path. Remembering this analogy may help us to remember to choose wisely, always thinking of our future.
Delete-Carolanne Eddy
I think what is said in regards to the tree of life branching off due to decisions that are made can be true. I do think it can be harmful to some people to think about in exclusively those terms, however. I think that people might see it as being stuck down a path they can't change from if seen from a certain perspective. I think it could make people not see a point in trying to change once they're somewhere because they think they're stuck. I think it's more complicated than just the tree analogy. You can go back, in a way, and try new things constantly throughout your life. I don't want anyone to feel like they can't be something more than they currently are.
ReplyDeleteThe tree analogy that Nora uses in her TED talk is definitely detected in other aspects of the novel. Two examples of this are Nora’s last name (Seed) and in many instances where Nora makes references to her “root” life. This analogy is a useful way to think about life for the fact that it allows us to understand that every little decision we make in our lives contributes to our success (or lack thereof). However, it is also very problematic because we might get caught up in all that our life could be and not what it is and what we can do to make it better. I think that this analogy was very problematic for Nora because she got so caught up in all the bad decisions (or at least the decisions she thought was bad) that she had made in her past instead of focusing on how to turn her life around and live the life that she truly wanted to live.
ReplyDeleteCati: I did not think about the subtle references in the rest of the novel that connect to this analogy. The plant imagery is a clever way that Haig connects the idea of branching realities together within the Midnight Library. Furthermore, your point that this analogy may be problematic is elucidating in that the idea of so many possible realities being created by different choices can give rise to obsessive, possibly counterproductive and anxiety-inducing, regret. The idea of so many paths is tantalizing but may lead the individual to lose sight of the forest for the branching paths.
Delete-Eli Grasso