I am awestruck from the enormity of information held within these mere two and a half pages. Our in class discussions thus far have culminated in this lightbulb moment.
First, the narrator states that a stupid person looks at revenge as justice. This continues the idea of the intellectual not being able to make a decision between committing an act of revenge and staying put how things are because they see both sides of the situation. A dumb minded person will, according to him, make a decision.
Next, I'll admit that I am slightly perplexed by the concept of the mouse-hole. I wonder whether he suggests that all humans live in mouse-holes and they are essentially boxed in with these theoretical walls we have discussed. The atmosphere found within the hole seeps into the mouse's brain and influences his thoughts, eventually leading to the madness and frustration which leads one to commit an act of revenge. I was very intrigued by the idea that the knowledge of understanding both sides enough to not react would be more infuriating than he who suffers enough aggravation to commit the act.
The paragraph which Mr. Shapiro pointed out to us as very important as a summary of the entire theme is a very powerful one. In it, the narrator explains that "the laws of nature, the deductions of natural science, mathematics" stem from the stone wall we have made for ourselves to justify what we do not know or understand. He tells the reader that this concept is one which must be accepted as a fact. There is no purpose in whining about his or her doubts on the matter. Ironically, I find his argument here to be yet another stone wall by telling the reader to just accept it.
To that end, he says that he recognizes that he cannot break through this wall, himself, but he announces that he will never sit back and be content embracing it. I am a firm believer in this idea and definitely agree with the fact that "the more you do not know, the worse the ache."
Ryan Pearson
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