Zorba the Greek Lesson Plan

Why does the narrator feel ashamed when his friend calls him a "bookworm"? Why is searching for a pretext, as he calls it, to launch himself into a "life of action"?

The narrator feels stung by his friend's remark because it reminds him of something about himself which he is disgusted by: his great preoccupation with books and the ideas contained within them. The narrator feels deep down that he loves life, but views his current habits as contrary to what he considers to be a well-lived life.

For this reason, "bookworm", coming from a friend, probably sounds snide or dismissive to the narrator, even if his friend didn't necessarily intend it that way. It implies that he is...