A Philosophical Moment

I have to admit…I sort of forgot who’s turn it was to post.

Over the last few days, as I’ve been industriously reading away at Ship of Fools, I’ve been logging onto the blog looking at the number of posts, statistics, etc, and each day I’ve  been wondering what has been taking you so long to get on the ball and add your latest thoughts. Well, today, I actually logged onto the blog itself, and lo and behold it was actually my turn to post. (Not only that, but you had posted twice!)

Well, egg on my face.

Anyway, I have been reading away like a mad man, I’m now about exactly half through the book and (**Spoiler Alert**) they’re still on the boat. In fact, I think they’ve traveled roughly 5 miles in the last 60 pages…at this rate they should reach Bremerhaven by roughly page 1376.

Anyway in my reading, I’ve noticed something funny. Do you realize how almost every conversation the characters have is full of profound, philosophical statements. As a study in contrasts look at a recent conversation that you and I had compared to a snippet of a conversation from the book. 

Jon: Hey, how’s it going.
Justin: Not too shabby. How about yourself?
Jon: Oh, I’d rate myself one step above okey-dokey.
Justin: Super-Duper.
Jon: Yup, yup, yup. 

Now here’s the level of conversation on the boat:

“No,” said Jenny, “to be unfaithful once is to be unfaithful once, and you can be repentant and get back in the fold just like an old-fashioned Methodist. I used to have a lover…who always said he never realized how much he loved me except when he was being unfaithful to me. There’s a flaw in that doctrine…but I was never able to convince him.” (168)

In response: 

“Love, he said, was a benevolent passion, full of patient kindness and fostering tenderness, faithful not by choice nor design but by nature, hardy and lasting, full of courage.” (168)

And this is a conversation between two people who have just met. Not since Pacey met Dawson have two characters fallen so easily into philosophical (and verbose) conversation.

Well, enough about that. Back to the boat.

Justin