Sophie
Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder, is a fantasy novel that explores the history of philosophy. It takes place in Norway in the 1990's. Some of the themes in the book are philosophy and free will. Dreams in the book often foreshadow events that occur later. Sophie is the primary narrator but point of view begins to switch between Sophie and Hilde. Albert Knag's point of view is also told in a few pages of the novel. The story comes to a climax when Sophie and Alberto disappear from the party. The falling action is when Hilde gives Albert Knag a taste of his own medicine, while Sophie and Alberto explore life as a spirit. The characters are Sophie, Alberto, Hilde, Albert Knag, Sophie's mother, Joanna, Hilde's mother, Sophie's father, Jeremy, and Hermes. Sophie is the main character. She is a creation of Albert Knag's, and is meant to be a birthday present for Hilde. She is the same age as Hilde and their birthdays are on the same day. She learns from Albert but she thinks by herself. She is critical of everyone around her. She is very mature for her age and is quite the little philosopher. Although Alberto knows more about philosophy than Sophie, when they escape Albert Knag's mind and gain an existence of their
Hilde is Albert Knag's daughter. She is why Sophie and Alberto were created. She is compassionate. She is willing to believe in things no matter what anyone else thinks, like Sophie. On her fifteenth birthday she is given Sophie's World. She learns to think philosophically alongside Sophie. Hilde believes that Sophie and Alberto exist somewhere but she cannot explain how. She is the ideal reader for Sophie's World and cannot get her nose out of it. Alberto is Sophie's philosophy teacher. He is a true philosopher in the fact that he thinks he knows nothing. He values time spent with company that can teach him something. In the beginning he is the one teaching Sophie but in the end they treat each other as equals. He holds onto his ability to think as the one thing that makes him human. He is great at reasoning and thinking things out. Hilde's mother is a minor character in the book. She provides stability in her daughters life because she loves Hilde and Albert Knag very much. Hilde's father is much more important to the story than her mother. Hilde's mother knows that Albert Knag is planning an important surprise for Hilde's birthday but she has no idea what. Philosophy is one of the themes in the book. It is its unifying theme. Philosophy is presented as something that is critical to life. Sophie and Alberto rely on philosophy to understand their world. Alberto stresses to Sophie how important her existence is. Gaarder stresses that one should never cease asking questions. Why are we here, what makes life good, and all of the other philosophical questions posed in the book are the most important questions one can ask, because they give life meaning. We don't want to deprive ourselves of pleasure and understanding by living without philosophy. Philosophy is a lifelong pursuit. It won't make life simpler but it will fill us with wonder. Sophie's father is kept away during the story because of work.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1628
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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