The pursuit of God
The pursuit of God is not an easy task. More often than not, something important should happen before a person starts looking for God. In Larry’s case it is the World War I. However, there is no need to immerse oneself in horrors of the war in order to lose peace, curiosity will be enough. Then a long and exhausting period of contemplation and researches starts. Larry manages to find his answers and restore harmony in his soul, but there are many people, who get lost in their ideas and get desperate.
Self-destruction
Those, who are not interested in any kind of religion, don’t bother themselves with eternal questions or lose faith in good often find salvation in self-destruction. Isabel Maturin believes that a self-destructive person just likes wallowing in self-pity and misery and she is not right. For instance, Sophie McDonald doesn’t pity herself, even if she wallows in something it is not misery, it is pure sarcasm and hate. The story of that woman is an example of conscious self-destruction. The conclusion a reader may make after reading this story is that self-destruction requires as much determination and will as the pursuit of God does.
Snobbism
To surround oneself with the best in order to be the best is not an example of snobbism. Elliot Templeton is ready to put up with everything in order to be a part of the high society and this is snobbism. The interesting thing is that he is perfectly aware of all weaknesses of the representatives of the high society and still he prefers them to the rest of people. It might be quite possible that Elliot’s and anyone else’s snobbism is a manifestation of misanthropy. Not to mention that in Elliot’s case, it is also a certain kind of escapism, for he behaves like a feudal and would be definitely happy to live in the Middle Ages.
The meaning of life
One has to find for oneself what the meaning of life is. Some people find happiness in a family life, others in making money, there are also those who manage to combine. There are also those, who don’t fit in anything. They become seekers of the truth, philosophers, saints or cynics. This novel portrays different people with various aspirations which are so unlike that they can’t even find a common language from time to time. This is the story about acceptance of other person’s choice and respect, regardless of your own idea of the meaning of life. Isabel sees the meaning of life in stability, Gray in work, Larry is the pursuit of God and spirituality and they are right, for the meaning of life is an individual concept.
