The Message of Quinns Ishmael :: Quinn Ishmael Essays

The Message of Ishmael     Quinn gains a unique perspective on military personnel through the main character of the novel, Ishmael. Ishmael is a gorilla. And Ishmael is a teacher who communicates with humans telepathically. On the surface, this hardly seems to be a character who would fall turn up in a serious book more likely a childrens story, a fable, or perhaps a bad science fiction novel. til now Ishmael is none of these, and Ishmael is a strong character, with a powerful intellect and a serious purpose. The character of Ishmael needs to be non-human in order to be effective. Looking in on civilization from the outside gives him a perspective from which to criticize humanity without hypocrisy. To hear the oppressor repent is not roughly so effective as to hear the voice of the oppressed demand freedom and restitution.   As Ishmael opens, the author writes of a day in his invigoration when he found what he thought a truly ludicrous advertisement in the pe rsonals section of a newspaper TEACHER seeks pupil. Must build an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person. Investigating with the purpose of exposing fraud, he came upon Ishmael in Room 105 of a nondescript smudge building. Ishmael was sitting calmly, nibbling on a slender branch. Momentarily shocked, Quinn stumbled towards a chair. He glanced into the gorillas eyes, and much to his disconcertment the eyes calmly spoke to him. Nodding in answer to an unuttered question, Ishmael spoke silently I am the teacher.   In language of the sort one might expect from a vigorous educated man speaking with a friend, Ishmael told Quinn the story of his life. A large portion of it was spent in captivity, before a wealthy ancient man befriended and educated him. At the end of Ishmaels tale, Quinn was still somewhat befuddled. I sat there for a minute, then I said, Im trying to figure out what this has to do with saving the world. Ishmael thought for a moment. Among the peopl e of your culture, which want to destroy the world? Which want to destroy it? As far as I know, no one specifically wants to destroy the world. And yet you do destroy it, each of you. Each of you contributes daily to the destruction of the world. Yes, thats so. Why dont you stop?