Our study of The Turn of the Screw suggests that philosophers aren't the only people interested in philosophical issues. Can you think of another novel that explores some deeper philosophical issues? Identify the book and the issues it explores.
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A book that I have recently read was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Not only is this book invigorating and thought provoking, but also holds deep religious and philosophical issues. Although this book is fiction, some aspects and details make realistic issues on religion. Robert Langdon along with Sophie is in search for the “Holy Grail.” This is philosophical, in that, it contradicts the history of Jesus as it has been told and seeks to show a family tree of Jesus. As the plot develops, one might think if Jesus really did have a child with the promiscuous, Mary Magdelene. It makes us question whether or not it was moral in hiding this crucial information to the public, as the Priory of Sion is trying to do. It also holds ethical controversies of the Albino monk using self-mutilation to signify purity. Is it right in whipping and hurting yourself in order to be cleansed from all sins? Is self-abuse something that is moral if it is based upon religion? Some see this as horrific and appalling, but others see it as virtuous and right.
Shakespeare's Othello discovers key philosophical issues: mainly the problem of other minds. Iago is a diabolical character who everyone dubs "honest Iago". His superior, his wife, and his friends have no idea just how evil Iago is. He manipulates everyone in the play and tells boldfaced lies. Nobody can 'read' Iago correctly because he is so elusive and because no one can see into his mind. Even his wife is shocked that she has shared a bed with a man for so long and did not even know who he really was. He kills a so-called friend, Roderigo, without flinching. It just goes to show that no matter how close you may seem to someone, you will never really know who they are. Iago fooled everybody in his life, and nobody even suspected him as lying. There is just no way to even fathom or predict what someone else could be thinking because we can not see into anyone's mind but our own.
One of my favorite books ever, The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell, explores numerous philosophical issues. The first and most prevalent issue in the book is justice. The main character’s mother is killed by the townspeople because of the new governmental doctrines condemned all those with magical powers who did not work for them. Later on Makenna, the main character, steals food from townspeople to survive, and justifies her decisions by saying that food should be left out for the magical creatures in the woods, but the townsfolk no longer cared. Five years later, after forging a bond of friendship with the goblins forced into the woods, she proceeds to sabotage all expeditions into the forest because the people had initially forced the goblins to live there and now they were trying to live in that area too. When a knight, sent to kill the “powerful sorceress” of the Goblin Wood, is captured by Makenna and he soon learns her sense of justice, but he does not agree with it. The book also brings up the issue of loyalty when Makenna is offered a position fighting for the government instead of against it, but she refuses because she is loyal to the goblins that she defends. There are a few other underlying philosophical issues, many of which are ethical dilemmas, but justice and loyalty are the most prevalent and obvious issues addressed in the novel.
When I was younger, I read the Phantom Tollbooth. Immediately I dove into the book of words and numbers without any knowledge of the philosophy hidden within the pages. For years this was my favorite book, and just recently I went back and looking again to discover mountains of philosophical issues. For example, Milo is sent on a misson to rescue the kings of words and letter's two daughters whose names were Rhyme and Reason. Though they are pretty names, clearly author Norton Juster didn't just pick to name out of the hat. They travel through cities such as the cities of Reality and Illusions. The plot continues as Milo and his friends battle monsters and help the silent Valley of Sound, until at last he reaches the princesses. However before he can save them, he must tackle the mountain of ignorance. Is this all a coincedence? I don't think so. I believe this was all a deliberate attempt at incorporating important life lessons into children's minds subconsciously.
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