Meursault Essays - Absurdist Fiction, The Stranger, Meursault

Meursault Meursault is a man who will not lie to himself. He will not feign emotion, nor use religion as a vehicle to give his life meaning. Meursault has a passion for the truth, which opens the revelation for all humanity: life is absurd; it is man's mortal responsibility to be committed to himself, for death is absolute and inevitable. In Albert Camus' The Stranger, his behavior and characteristics display him as an immoral man, expressing indifference towards society's formulas for normalcy. The lack of emotion Mersault has concerning the death of his mother is an excellent portrayal of his beast-like, immoral character. Meursault defies the customary code of behavior by refusing to see his mother's carcass, and instead, he fell asleep and accepted coffee and cigarettes at the vigil. Additionally, he does not honor a period of mourning. In place of mourning, Meursault goes swimming, sees a comedy film with a girl, then proceeds to take her home and make love to her. Mersault doesn't even remember anything about the funeral except for something that one of the nurses had said. ?If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church? (page 17). The fact that this and several other images are his only memories of his mother's funeral show his lack of emotion and reguard for subjects that are deemed important by the majority of mankind. These prominent disrespects to the accepted regulations of society are what unmistakably denounce him at the trial; society fears apathy and condemns Meursault in order to preserve the town's feelings of comfort that is maintained by communal order and religion. Meursault is also a stranger to behaving in a gregarious manner and conforming to social formalities. His so-called friend Raymond invites Meursault to his apartment to have blood sausage and wine, then goes on to tell Meursault about his Arab girlfriend and how he beat her because she was cheating on him. He wants to discipline this girl by means of chastisement even though he still has sexual feelings for her. Raymond asks Meursault what he thinks about the whole thing and Meursault says he doesn't think anything but that it was interesting? (page 32). The conversation continues and Mersaults responses exemplify why Raymond enjoys his company so much; Mersault has no definite opinion of his own and he always appears to be in accord with what everyone else has to say. ?He asked if I thought she was cheating on him, and it seemed to me she was; if I thought she should be punished and what I would do in his place, and I said you can't ever be sure, but I understood his wanting to punish her (page 32). Meursault lacks morals. He has no need for them. Values for him do not enter his life for they do not have an impact on him. Meursault proceeds to please Raymond with his listless attitude to Raymond's social relations by writing an indecent letter to his Arab girlfriend. Meursault does not contemplate the outcomes in writing an asinine letter to a woman he has never met, nor the impression it could leave on her life. Meursault simply does not care about any of this and thus he has no moral obligations. Raymond and Mersault had gone to the beach to visit Raymond's friend Masson at his beach house. Upon walking down the beach, Raymond and Mersault cane across two Arabs that Raymond had a conflict with prior to this moment. Due to Raymond's desire for revenge, he and Mersault travel down the beach, Raymond with a revolver, Mersault unarmed. Raymond contemplates shooting his man (his girlfriend's brother), but Meursault tells him he can only shoot in self-defense in the case that the Arab pulls his knife. Then he takes Raymond's gun, which the sunlight catches, and goes back with him to the beach house. Mersault, however, does not go back to the cabin, but turns back to the beach, although ?to stay or to go, it amounted to the same thing? (page 57). The unyielding rationale of the Algerian sun overcomes him. Meursault encounters Raymond's man who pulled a knife in front of Meursault. ?It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire. My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave... Then I fired four

Childhood Wounds in Cats Eye essays

Childhood Wounds in Cat's Eye essays Elaine Risely is an artist who returns to her childhood home of Toronto for an art exhibition, and confronts her deeply buried feelings of inadequacy and pain from her childhood while she is there. Elaine is a happy young girl at first, but as she makes friends with other girls, she finds they are always watching her, waiting for her to do something wrong, whether it is in Sunday school, or in her house, which does not "measure up" to theirs. Carol sees her unfinished house with "incredulous glee, . . . as if she's reporting on the antics of some primitive tribe" (Atwood 49). In fact, the girls games and taunting become even more grisly as they bury Elaine alive, in a "pretend" game. "They pick me up by the underarms and lower me into the hole. Then they arrange the boards over the top. The daylight air disappears, and there is the sound of dirt hitting the boards, shovelful after shovelful. Inside the hole it's cold and dim and damp and smells like toad burrows" (Atwood 112-113). It is after this incident that Elaine realizes she has lost control of herself, and she begins to live two different and separate lives, one, where she appears happy and content, and one where she is caught up in the pain of her past that she cannot forget. She notes early in the novel, "If you can bend space you can bend time also, and if you knew enough and could move faster than light you could travel backwards in time and exist in two places at once" (Atwood 3). In fact, she does exist in two places at once, and it is tearing her life apart at the seams. She says later, At these times I feel blurred, as if there are two of me, one superimposed on the other, but imperfectly. There's an edge of transparency, and beside it a rim of solid flesh that's without feeling, like a scar. I can see what's happening, I can hear what's being said to me, but I don't hav...

7 Most Common Mistakes on ACT Math How to Avoid Them

7 Most Common Mistakes on ACT Math How to Avoid Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips I've tutored many students on the ACT Math section, and they often found it frustrating. Some struggled because they considered themselves better English students and felt overwhelmed by the content and pacing of ACT Math. Others found that even though they considered themselves strong math students, they had a hard time getting the score they wanted in the ACT Math section. But allthese students typically madethe same types of mistakes. In this article, I’ll go over the seven most common mistakes students make on the ACT Math section and how to avoid them. Mistake #1: Skipping Steps ACT Math questions can be very sneaky.Problems can appear at first glance deceptively easy because they only require you to know basic math topics. However, the ACT questions ask for you to apply this basic knowledge in unique ways and often require you to run through several steps to get to the correct answer.If you don’t write out these steps, you can easilyend up with the wrong answer. For example, check out this ACT Math question: I’m going to admit that the first time I attempted this I got it wrong because I did not write down my steps!Hopefully, you’ll learn from my mistake.Together, we will write out the steps and get to the correct answer. There are 4 questions with 3 possible answers, and only 1 of the 3 answer choices will be correct. Therefore, for each question, Elliott has a ${1}/{3}$ chance of answering correctly.Since there are 4 questions, Elliot’s chances of answering all 4 correctly at random are$({1}/{3})({1}/{3})({1}/{3})({1}/{3})$which equals ${1}/{81}$, so the correct answer is E. Initially, I tried to do this problem in my head without writing any steps down. Because I didn't write anythingdown, Imistakenly thought there were four possible answer choices for each question instead of three. Therefore, I got the wrong answer, ${1}/{256}$. Thankfully, my answer wasn't one of the answer choices, so I caught my mistake, but I would have missed the questionotherwise. Don’t miss problems because you didn’t write out all of the steps.This is arguably the easiest mistake to fix.All you need to do is write out all your steps, and you’ll never accidentally miss a problem because you skipped a step!Learn from my silly mistake! Mistake #2: Forgetting Formulas The ACT doesn’t give you any formulas.However, you’ll need to use a lot of formulas to answer questions in the ACT Math section.You need to know these math formulas to answer the questions correctly.We’ve compiled a complete list of all the formulas you need to know for ACT Math. You need to memorize these formulas.Create flashcards to help you memorize.I cannot stress enough how important memorizing formulas is.You’ll see at least 10 questions (out of 60) on the ACT Math section that you will not be able to answer without knowing formulas. Check out this ACT Math question that you couldn’t answer without knowing the formula: If you didn't have yourtrigonometry formulas memorized (SOHCAHTOA), you would have no idea how to answer this question. It's impossible to answer this question without knowing the formula for the tangent of an angle since that is the value you're trying to find. If you remember your trigonometry formulas, you know that the tangent of an angle is the opposite/adjacent.For this question, you need to find the tangent of angle B.The adjacent side for angle B is 2, which means it is our denominator.This means we can eliminate answer choices H, J, and K. However, you cannot find the final answer without also knowing the formula for thePythagorean Theorem.You need to know the Pythagorean Theorem in order to find the measureof the missing side of the triangle, the opposite side to angle B. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, you can find this missing side measure. $$a^2+b^2=c^2$$ $$a^2+2^2=5^2$$ $$a^2+4=25$$ $$a^2=21$$ $$a=√{21}$$ The opposite side will be $√{21}$, and we know that our adjacent side is 2. The final answer is F, ${√{21}}/{2}$. Mistake #3: Not UnderstandingFunctions Functions tend to be one of the hardest concepts, if not the hardest concept, for most students. Students are usually less familiar with algebraic and/or trigonometric functions than they are with other math concepts such as fractions and percentages. Some students have completely forgotten functions or never learned them in the first place. To master the ACT math section, you need to be a whiz at functions. See this ACT Math function question: To answer this question, you need to know the rules of trigonometric functions andtranslations. You will not be able to answer this question without knowing these rules. You first need to use your knowledge of trigonometric functions to read the graph, and then, you need to apply your knowledge of translations rules to find the final answer. First, you need to be able to identify which function is $sin(x)$ and which is$sin(x+a)+b$ on the graph since they're not identified for you.If you know your trigonometric functions, you know that the y-intercept of$sin(x)$ is 0, meaning the graph of$sin(x)$ crosses through the origin. Therefore, the other functionmust be$sin(x+a)+b$. Once you've correctly identified which function is which, you need to figure out how$y=sin(x)$ was changed to make$y=sin(x+a)+b$, which is where your translation knowledge comes in. Based on the given information in the question, you know the two have the same maximum values, meaning the amplitude was not changed.By looking at the graph you can tell$y=sin(x)$ was shiftedto the left or right to make$y=sin(x+a)+b$, but it was not moved up or down. Since there was no up or down movement, b must equal zero since any change in b would cause$y=sin(x)$ to move up or down. Therefore, the answer must be A, but let's check by figuring out what a should be. Because$y=sin(x)$ repeats itself infinitely, you can shift it either to the left or right to create the new function$y=sin(x+a)+0$.Therefore, $a$ could be positive or negative (for example, ${-3Ï€}/{2}$ or ${Ï€}/{2}$, but it could not equal zero, so A is the correct answer. If you've forgotten functions, then you need to review. You must review all math concepts that you’re rusty on in order to succeed on ACT Math.Lucky for you, we’ve written specific ACT Math content guides to help you study any individual ACT Math content area that you might be struggling with, fromtrigonometric functions totranslations,ratios to rotations, points to probabilities and much more. Mistake #4:Panicking at Unfamiliar Question Formats The ACT sometimes asks questions in strange ways, which can scare a lot of students. I had many students who, even though they'd reviewed all of the math content areas, wouldread the question and rather than trying to figure it out would just freak out and give up. The question below is one that presents an unfamiliar question format. You’ll likely recognize it as an algebra question, and if you were asked to find the solutions forx (had you been given numerical values of m and n), you’d likely know how to answer that question.However, instead, this question tells you the valueof x and asks you to figure out what m and n are. Let’s work through this problem together: If the only possible solution for x is -3, that means the given equation can also be represented as $(x-y)^2=0$.We need to figure out what y is in order to find out what m and n are. If $(x-y)^2=0$, then you can separate it into $(x-y)(x-y)=0$.For this to be true, x-y has to equal 0. $$x-y=0$$ The question told us that the only solution for x is -3, so we plug that in and solve: $$-3-y=0$$ $$-y=3$$ $$y=-3$$ Now that we know the value of y, we plug it back into $(x-y)^2=0$ and then multiply and simplify to figure out what m and n are: $$(x-(-3))^2=0$$ $$(x+3)^2=0$$ $$(x+3)(x+3)=0$$ $$x^2+3x+3x+9=0$$ $$x^2+6x+9=0$$ Therefore, $m=6$, so the answer is C. There is no easy solution to this type of mistake.The only way to learn from this mistake is with practice.ACT Math questions are unlike the math questions you usually see in math class. They are much trickier. I recommend taking as many practice ACT testsas you can in order to get used to the style of ACT math questions.You need to train yourself to be able to solve math questions in this new way. Mistake #5: Solving for the Wrong Value As I just said, ACT Math questions can be tricky.They are tricky not only because they ask you to apply basic skills in new ways but also because they sometimes phrase questions in weird, convoluted ways. Althoughthe ACT is often called the more straightforward test in comparison to the SAT (or at least in comparison to the old SAT),some ACT Math questions are far from straightforward.Take for example this question: The question is basically asking how the surface area will change if you double the length, width and height.However, if you misread the question, you could easilyjump to the incorrect conclusion that the surface area was doubled, and the answer is A. Given the formula for surface area, $A=2lw+2lh+2wh$, if we double $l$, $w$, $h$, the new surface area would be $$SA=2(2l)(2w)+2(2l)(2h)+2(2w)(2h)$$ $$SA=2(4lw)+2(4lh)+2(4h)$$ That can be written as $$SA=4(2lw+2lh+2wh)$$ When that is compared to the original $SA=2lw+2lh+2wh$, you can see it’s 4 times the original, so the answer is B. Take your time.I know you don’t have a lot of time on the ACT Math section, but you need to read each question completely and make sure that you know what you’re being asked.The ACT Math section will always throw you an answer choice that will seem correct if you misread the question.They are trying to tempt you to answer incorrectly.Don’t fall for it! Mistake #6: Incorrectly Using Your Calculator You need to be careful with your calculator.It’s a great tool, but to quote the Spiderman comics, â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.†It’s very easy to feel rushed during the ACT Math questions, and, in your hurry to find the answer, you type the wrong number(s) into your calculator and, therefore, come to the wrong answer. Now, this is typically one of the better mistakes to make on this list because if you type in the wrong number(s) you’ll likely find no matching answer in the ACT answer choices, and you’ll realize you made a mistake. However, you don’t want to be making this mistake.Even if you catch your mistake because there is no matching answer choice, you’ve still cost yourself valuable time that you could have been using to answer another question.Take the time to check that you’ve copied the numbers into your calculator correctly. Type carefully! Mistake #7: Not Pacing Yourself With only 60 minutes to answer 60 questions, you need to learn to pace yourself. To determineyour pacing, you need to first figure out your target score. The questions progress from easy to hard, so no matter what score you're aiming for always attempt the questions chronologically. If you're aiming for a score higher than 30, then you're going to need to answer all or almost all of the 60 questions. That means you must spend under 1 minute per question on the first 30 questions to save time for the harder end questions. If you're aiming for a score below 30, then you can afford to skip some questions. Determine how many questions you need to answer to reach your score and then pace according to that amount of questions. For example, if you're aiming for 20, then you only need to get 32 math questions right. You can allow yourself a minute and a half per question, and you should attempt the first 40-45 questions and skip the hardest ones at the end. Simply choose a random letter and bubble that in for the ones you skip, since there is no penalty for guessing. I won’t go into detail because we have another great guide on how to stop running out of time on ACT Math and how to take advantage of the easy to hard question order. However, I will say to truly master the pacing you need to take many practice tests under realistic conditions.Don’t give yourself even one extra minute on your practice tests because this can artificially inflate your score. Stick to 60 minutes for the ACT Math section. What’s Next? Now that you know the most common mistakes on ACT Math, you might want to take a look at our specific ACT Math content guides to help you study any individual ACT Math content area that you might be struggling with, from ratios to rotations, points to probabilities. Stuck on an ACT Math problem? We'll show you how to figure out when you're really stuck and what to do about it. Want additional help with ACT Math? Don’t sweat it. We've compiled all ourbest free ACT Math guides into one ultimate ACT math study guide. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Iraq and afghan veterans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Iraq and afghan veterans - Research Paper Example The emotions and images of war may remain in the souls and minds of returning soldiers for decades or even lifetimes after the wars. This is usually due to a fundamental reshaping of important human characteristics, especially those related to the soul. The characteristics include â€Å"how we perceive; how our minds are organized and function; how we love and relate; what we believe, expect, and value; what we feel and refuse to feel; and what we judge as good or evil, right or wrong† (1). As a way to deal with the emotions and images of war that still linger in the souls and minds of returning soldiers, most of them suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) and engage in substance abuse. This paper is a discussion on the effects of war on returning soldiers, with a particular focus on Iraq and Afghan veterans. The use and abuse of substances such as alcohol and narcotics for most soldiers usually begins with the beginning of military life. Ruiz and Strain point out that â€Å"the armed services have experienced problems with alcohol abuse from the earliest days of military service, in part because heavy drinking has been an accepted custom and tradition that continues today† (926).To this day, military outlets sell alcohol beverages at reduced prices. On top of this, alcohol is part of the work culture in the military as it is used to encourage camaraderie and unit solidarity, ease interpersonal pressures and reward hard work. Just like alcohol, illegal drugs or narcotics and nonmedical prescription drugs have been used by soldiers to help cope with panic or boredom, increase alertness and reduce fatigue, as well as to reduce pain from wounds. The use and abuse of these substances have over time been discouraged in the military and policies have been developed to help eliminate the problem. According to Ruiz and Strain, â€Å"urine tests, which are conducted randomly or when an individual is suspected of

Management Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management Information Systems - Essay Example Cost leadership and Differentiation focus strategy will be discussed with examples in the following section. Wal-Mart stores have successfully expanded its operations across many countries with cost leadership strategy by gaining competitive advantage through under-pricing products while maintaining decent profit margin; thanks to savings from lower costs that allows Wal-Mart to transfer savings to customers. Starbucks Corporation currently employs the differential focus strategy and caters to a specific target consumer segment with unique and distinguished products. Selling unique line of coffee and tea products to high-end customers at a high cost gives it a competitive advantage. It doesn’t aggressively market itself but the attention to detail, product quality, impeccable customer service, and ethical practices have helped position the organization as â€Å"one of the most valuable global brands†. Wal-Mart currently has a management information system that helps sto ring and sharing information from and for its world wide operations. It uses point-of-sale system to record all the sales information and telecommunication to connect with its stores worldwide to maintain stocks. Starbucks has an advanced information system in place to collaborate worldwide operations, especially focusing on direct coordination among finance, purchase, sales and marketing, and human resource department. However, both the firms need to extensively focus on information security and customer profiles in order to avoid potential security breaches and information misuse to ensure sustained success and growth. References Trevino, D. (2009, May). Starbucks Details Strategy For Profitable Growth. Starbucks Newsroom. Retrieved from http://news.starbucks.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=184 Ireland, D. R., Hitt, M. A., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2011). Understanding Business Strategy: Concepts and Cases. Cengage Learning. Retrieved from

Push Technology Essay -- Technology

Five thousand years ago, with the invention of writing, the human species took its first jump towards a technological civilization. The second one came only in the last half of the XV century, with the invention of press, by Gutenberg. The possibility of reproducing thousands of identical copies of the same document has taken to the creation of the first magazines and journals, a revolutionary concept. But this occurred in a slow and grad way: the first scientific journal pressed, for example, was released just in 1665, 200 years after. Although, until today this is the basis of a huge system of divulgation in science and technology, counting more than 300 thousand journals around the world, and that has changed little during the three last centuries. Nowadays, this scenario is about to change radically, with the development of global computer networks, like Internet, mainly after the explosion of the WWW (World Wide Web), that allows for high quality electronic publishing, with texts, images, videos, etc. Together, these two technologies have a revolutionary potential many times superior than the invention of press. WWW is based in an active model of search for information, this is, in traditional Internet navigation, denominated "pull" technology, the user obtains information from different WWW sites, searching for topics of his interest. The huge volume of documents and sites available make the information obtention possible only after a refined search procedure, made with one of the mechanisms existent for this purpose, making the process difficult. Besides that, the continuous growth of available information and the necessity of individually visiting the sites is, slowly, making access infeasible, both from the user's... ...t with the certainty that the information is delivered to the correct user and according do a desired profile. In the near future, the integration of "push" technology with traditional media like television, cinema and radio will be possible, changing radically not only the mass media, but also business and marketing strategies involved. Finally, the use of information technologies based in Artificial Intelligence will be used to improve information filters both in client and server side, in a manner that software robots and other autonomous agents will send the subscriber's computer only news and articles that satisfy highly specific interests criteries. Electronic references PointCast Corporation: http://www.pointcast.com Marimba Corporation: http://www.marimba.com Microsoft Corporation: http://www.microsoft.com Push Council: http://www.aitek.com/PUSH/

Passage to India

An exploration of these possibilities hopefully shall veal which meaning, If not all of them, Forester Intended the Marimba Caves to possess. On a metaphysical level, the Caves can be seen as a representation of the subconscious. By entering the caves one penetrates the dark, cavernous realm of one's own psyche. Several characters experience a revelation within their walls. Mrs.. Moor's revelation is that of immense hopelessness. Her experience in the cave creates a sense of chaos and the sense that despite what is said or known in the world, It Is all essentially meaningless.The echo she hears reinforces this revelation to her. The scary resounding â€Å"boom† reduces every individual sound or voice to a continuous and indistinct noise (Forester 163). She meditates that the sound, â€Å"had managed to murmur ‘Pathos, piety, courage-they exist, but are identical, and so is filth. Everything exists, nothing has value. ‘ If one had spoken vileness in that place, or quoted lofty poetry, the comment would have been the same-‘oh-boom† (165). It is here she realizes the whole of human history has sounded Just Like this and that her existence makes no Impression upon it at all.That no matter what Is done and said It s all in the end meaningless. For her, the caves symbolize the antiquity of existence and she has been reduced to being another nonsensical blurb in the annals of time. When she emerges from the cave, Adele asks Mrs.. Moore if she saw the reflection of a match, calling it pretty. Mrs.. Moore claims to have forgotten, but ultimately the only thing she saw In the cave was a reflection of her fears. For the young Adele, the caves Invoke a different revelation.Perhaps their enormity and sense of removal from the world make her meditate on the decision she Is going to make to marry Irony. Looking upon the rock formations as if ripples in her own mind, she is reminded of her relationship with Irony and asks, â€Å"What about love ? † (168). Within these walls, she realizes that she is about to marry a man she does not love and ultimately by traversing the corridors of her own mind, she reaches a sense of inner awareness. Adele has a sudden epiphany In the caves and â€Å"vexed, rather than appalled, she stood still, her eyes on the sparkling rock† (168).Perhaps this sparkling rock that Adele focuses on represents a light that has been turned on inside of her. However, unlike Mrs.. Moore who is reduced to an irritable depression, Adele has what appears be a mental breakdown. She has made a decision to escape the confines of societal pressures and not marry Irony. This knowledge provokes such a state in her that she seems to be in a trance, unaware of the hysteria surrounding her until her Inner echo stops during the trial. After renouncing all charges against Aziza; Adele confides Tanat parlor to near cave explosion, sense experienced â€Å"a sort AT sadness. . Tanat I could not detect at the ti me†¦ No, nothing as solid as sadness: living at half pressure expresses it best. Half pressure† (266). Inside the caves is where she recognizes that so far she was not living her life â€Å"full steam†. Perhaps this revelation at a life led devoid of true experiences and satisfaction caused her possible â€Å"hallucination†. Up until this point in her life, she had seen life in only one direction; now there were many. In court, she conjures up this multi-directional view; describing it as a â€Å"double relation† (253).She tries to recount the day at the caves and questions herself as to why she did not enjoy what was around her initially. Looking back she realizes that it was â€Å"all dutiful and significant, though she had been blind to it at the time† (253). For both women the entrance into the caves is like an entrance into their own mind. They derive a new sense of knowledge within the hollowed walls and emerge with an echo- a â€Å"boom † that haunts them; an echo that may be the resounding hum of their own subconscious (168). This haunting echo for Mrs..Moore serves as a reminder of her own insignificance and mortality; while for Adele the echo chips away at her, revealing that perhaps she is uncomfortable with her new self-awareness until she can properly interpret it. However, she will need time to do this, remarking that â€Å"the vision disappeared whenever she wished to interpret it† (267). One can only speculate on Dale's revelation and her supposed â€Å"insult†. In the end she loses interest in who could have insulted her in the cave; because ultimately she encountered someone much more important in those walls, herself.Essentially, Adele grapples with three different issues: the â€Å"concept of her own Brutishness crumbles, as the very essence of her identity alters, [and] her disenfranchisement in Anglo-India 56). Her first step of assertion is by renouncing her accusations against Aziza. By disentangling herself from the British and their need to scapegoat him she has effectively removed herself from the Anglo-Indian system and become her own woman. In a more literal fashion the caves can be seen as momentary freedom from the constraints of each individual's society; Moslem, Hindu, and Anglo-Indian all converge here.The Marimba Cave setting is a less formal affair then the â€Å"bridge party' and serves as a removal from the country club and mosques that separate them. However, this confluence of cultures has disastrous results for the main characters. The initial entrance into the caves is described as absolute chaos by Mrs.. Moore. Inside there is no light and no distinctions can be made between people. She describes the caves as being, â€Å"Crammed with villagers and servants†¦ She lost Adele and Aziza in the dark, didn't know who touched her, couldn't breathe, and some vile naked thing struck her face and settled on her like a pad† (Forester 162).Here she suffers a panic attack at what is essentially a removal of the rigid hierarchies she is accustomed to. She is disgusted and threatened by the vile naked pad which slaps her and then turns out to simply be a baby. It is because she cannot see and categorize what is around her that she â€Å"went mad, hitting and gasping like a fanatic† (162). It is too much chaos for her and the scene unleashes her instinctual, primitive reaction; far from the decorum she may have though herself to possess. Despite her kindness and â€Å"orientation†, Mrs.. Moore is as reliant on a structured system as any AT near countrymen .I Nils scans AT Matrimonial TTY amongst cultures continues when Adele and Aziza enter the next cave. The reader is never informed of what really happens within the cave due to the narrative being from Jazz's respective. However, Dale's supposed insult resulting from Jazz's advances creates outrageous turmoil. It is rooted in the problem that they- a Moslem Indian and a British woman- are alone in such an environment. The insinuation here is that by lowering their guards both parties have suffered. If Adele was in fact insulted, then it was a result of being so familiar with an Indian man.However, if Aziza was innocent the problem was essentially still a result of taking the chance of having too much freedom around a British woman. This reprieve from town and cultural boundaries as shown that distrust and miscommunication are embedded within these groups. Essentially, by showing the havoc that ensues from being at the caves far away from societal restrictions, Forester is showing that perhaps there is a necessity for a separation of cultures when such misunderstanding and distrust exists. There will never entirely be hope for a healthy convergence of cultures if such elements of suspicion linger.The ideas of freedom and the subconscious that the caves inspire may only help to compound the element of mystery they possess. Monk no tes that, The Marimba Caves have a corrosive, annihilating effect on those who are susceptible to their power, and they become the central mystery of â€Å"mysterious India† in Forester's Passage thereto†. The caves are both a representation of mystery and the source of it. It is within their confines that Adele is â€Å"insulted†; yet the reader never really knows what happened if anything did happen at all.The mystic trance they seem to infuse their visitors with can be seen as reflective of the mystery of Eastern spirituality to western eyes. The east possesses a culture so different from the English; that it is resented as an enigma to them that can never be solved. McCauley remarks that, â€Å"Everything Indian is haloed in mystery; the caves, the landscape, even the bird that the English see in a tree and cannot identify, for â€Å"nothing in India is identifiable, the mere asking of a question causes it to disappear and to merge in something else† (201).The Marimba caves carry an enigmatic power. Forester comments that this power lies in their defiance of time and meaning, stating that â€Å"Nothing is inside them, they were sealed up before the creation of pestilence or treasure; if mankind grew Uris's and excavated, nothing, nothing would be added to the sum of good or evil† (Forester 119). Marimba caves may also serve as another example of the need to determine mystery from muddle. Earlier in the novel, a conversation is posed concerning the difference between the terms.Adele generally admits to abhorring mysteries, while Fielding chimes in agreement that â€Å"We English do† (73). However, it is Mrs.. Moore who makes the distinction between liking a mystery and disliking a muddle. The conversation ends with the question as to if India is a muddle. If India is a muddle, or not; what then would the caves be? Perhaps if the definition of the caves can be determined, then one could unlock the answer to whether I ndia is a muddle or mystery. The difference between the terms mystery and muddle are never clearly defined in the novel.However, a mystery by definition generally has an answer at the end. The implication of the word muddle is that there is no answer and randomness exists. If one examines the caves and the events within them, perhaps muddle could be the more appropriate description. Mrs.. Moore certainly described chaos, and the mystery AT Dale's Insult Is never solved. In ten caves scans ensues Ana no solutions are offered. This would indicate muddle. If the caves are muddle and reflect the real India; is India, therefore, a muddle or a mystery? Fielding seems to think â€Å"Indian's a muddle† (73).However, if India is a muddle than the implications of this could be boundless. For if this one country and culture is summed up as a muddle, could not the same opinion be made about most other places and people? Is mankind's existence random, chaotic, and essentially devoid of an y real answers? These questions sound undoubtedly like what Mrs.. Moore was asking herself outside of the Marimba caves. She drew a linear relationship between the nothingness of the caves and her own existence; indicating the same connection between these elements.Perhaps Forester's caves serve the purpose of showing that everything is essentially muddled. This muddle or mystery, subconscious, and freedom are all to be found with the Forester's Marimba Caves. Each character upon entering them emerges with their own definition of their meaning. Mrs.. Moore and Adele both approached the caves as if taking a walk within the confines of their own psyches, each discovering their worries and their fears. Aziza found himself victim to the caves and the mystery that happened within them.In addition, all of these characters experienced the ramifications and revelations that arise when one is free from societal observation. The question was posed of whether the caves represented freedom, the subconscious, or the mystery of India. After careful exploration, it is obvious that the caves represent all of these different elements. Perhaps the Marimba caves even represent what is seemingly impossible- both meaning and muddle. Their contradictory coexistence might be the real mystery of India, and of existence. , Works Cited Forester, E. M. A Passage to India. Passage to India An exploration of these possibilities hopefully shall veal which meaning, If not all of them, Forester Intended the Marimba Caves to possess. On a metaphysical level, the Caves can be seen as a representation of the subconscious. By entering the caves one penetrates the dark, cavernous realm of one's own psyche. Several characters experience a revelation within their walls. Mrs.. Moor's revelation is that of immense hopelessness. Her experience in the cave creates a sense of chaos and the sense that despite what is said or known in the world, It Is all essentially meaningless.The echo she hears reinforces this revelation to her. The scary resounding â€Å"boom† reduces every individual sound or voice to a continuous and indistinct noise (Forester 163). She meditates that the sound, â€Å"had managed to murmur ‘Pathos, piety, courage-they exist, but are identical, and so is filth. Everything exists, nothing has value. ‘ If one had spoken vileness in that place, or quoted lofty poetry, the comment would have been the same-‘oh-boom† (165). It is here she realizes the whole of human history has sounded Just Like this and that her existence makes no Impression upon it at all.That no matter what Is done and said It s all in the end meaningless. For her, the caves symbolize the antiquity of existence and she has been reduced to being another nonsensical blurb in the annals of time. When she emerges from the cave, Adele asks Mrs.. Moore if she saw the reflection of a match, calling it pretty. Mrs.. Moore claims to have forgotten, but ultimately the only thing she saw In the cave was a reflection of her fears. For the young Adele, the caves Invoke a different revelation.Perhaps their enormity and sense of removal from the world make her meditate on the decision she Is going to make to marry Irony. Looking upon the rock formations as if ripples in her own mind, she is reminded of her relationship with Irony and asks, â€Å"What about love ? † (168). Within these walls, she realizes that she is about to marry a man she does not love and ultimately by traversing the corridors of her own mind, she reaches a sense of inner awareness. Adele has a sudden epiphany In the caves and â€Å"vexed, rather than appalled, she stood still, her eyes on the sparkling rock† (168).Perhaps this sparkling rock that Adele focuses on represents a light that has been turned on inside of her. However, unlike Mrs.. Moore who is reduced to an irritable depression, Adele has what appears be a mental breakdown. She has made a decision to escape the confines of societal pressures and not marry Irony. This knowledge provokes such a state in her that she seems to be in a trance, unaware of the hysteria surrounding her until her Inner echo stops during the trial. After renouncing all charges against Aziza; Adele confides Tanat parlor to near cave explosion, sense experienced â€Å"a sort AT sadness. . Tanat I could not detect at the ti me†¦ No, nothing as solid as sadness: living at half pressure expresses it best. Half pressure† (266). Inside the caves is where she recognizes that so far she was not living her life â€Å"full steam†. Perhaps this revelation at a life led devoid of true experiences and satisfaction caused her possible â€Å"hallucination†. Up until this point in her life, she had seen life in only one direction; now there were many. In court, she conjures up this multi-directional view; describing it as a â€Å"double relation† (253).She tries to recount the day at the caves and questions herself as to why she did not enjoy what was around her initially. Looking back she realizes that it was â€Å"all dutiful and significant, though she had been blind to it at the time† (253). For both women the entrance into the caves is like an entrance into their own mind. They derive a new sense of knowledge within the hollowed walls and emerge with an echo- a â€Å"boom † that haunts them; an echo that may be the resounding hum of their own subconscious (168). This haunting echo for Mrs..Moore serves as a reminder of her own insignificance and mortality; while for Adele the echo chips away at her, revealing that perhaps she is uncomfortable with her new self-awareness until she can properly interpret it. However, she will need time to do this, remarking that â€Å"the vision disappeared whenever she wished to interpret it† (267). One can only speculate on Dale's revelation and her supposed â€Å"insult†. In the end she loses interest in who could have insulted her in the cave; because ultimately she encountered someone much more important in those walls, herself.Essentially, Adele grapples with three different issues: the â€Å"concept of her own Brutishness crumbles, as the very essence of her identity alters, [and] her disenfranchisement in Anglo-India 56). Her first step of assertion is by renouncing her accusations against Aziza. By disentangling herself from the British and their need to scapegoat him she has effectively removed herself from the Anglo-Indian system and become her own woman. In a more literal fashion the caves can be seen as momentary freedom from the constraints of each individual's society; Moslem, Hindu, and Anglo-Indian all converge here.The Marimba Cave setting is a less formal affair then the â€Å"bridge party' and serves as a removal from the country club and mosques that separate them. However, this confluence of cultures has disastrous results for the main characters. The initial entrance into the caves is described as absolute chaos by Mrs.. Moore. Inside there is no light and no distinctions can be made between people. She describes the caves as being, â€Å"Crammed with villagers and servants†¦ She lost Adele and Aziza in the dark, didn't know who touched her, couldn't breathe, and some vile naked thing struck her face and settled on her like a pad† (Forester 162).Here she suffers a panic attack at what is essentially a removal of the rigid hierarchies she is accustomed to. She is disgusted and threatened by the vile naked pad which slaps her and then turns out to simply be a baby. It is because she cannot see and categorize what is around her that she â€Å"went mad, hitting and gasping like a fanatic† (162). It is too much chaos for her and the scene unleashes her instinctual, primitive reaction; far from the decorum she may have though herself to possess. Despite her kindness and â€Å"orientation†, Mrs.. Moore is as reliant on a structured system as any AT near countrymen .I Nils scans AT Matrimonial TTY amongst cultures continues when Adele and Aziza enter the next cave. The reader is never informed of what really happens within the cave due to the narrative being from Jazz's respective. However, Dale's supposed insult resulting from Jazz's advances creates outrageous turmoil. It is rooted in the problem that they- a Moslem Indian and a British woman- are alone in such an environment. The insinuation here is that by lowering their guards both parties have suffered. If Adele was in fact insulted, then it was a result of being so familiar with an Indian man.However, if Aziza was innocent the problem was essentially still a result of taking the chance of having too much freedom around a British woman. This reprieve from town and cultural boundaries as shown that distrust and miscommunication are embedded within these groups. Essentially, by showing the havoc that ensues from being at the caves far away from societal restrictions, Forester is showing that perhaps there is a necessity for a separation of cultures when such misunderstanding and distrust exists. There will never entirely be hope for a healthy convergence of cultures if such elements of suspicion linger.The ideas of freedom and the subconscious that the caves inspire may only help to compound the element of mystery they possess. Monk no tes that, The Marimba Caves have a corrosive, annihilating effect on those who are susceptible to their power, and they become the central mystery of â€Å"mysterious India† in Forester's Passage thereto†. The caves are both a representation of mystery and the source of it. It is within their confines that Adele is â€Å"insulted†; yet the reader never really knows what happened if anything did happen at all.The mystic trance they seem to infuse their visitors with can be seen as reflective of the mystery of Eastern spirituality to western eyes. The east possesses a culture so different from the English; that it is resented as an enigma to them that can never be solved. McCauley remarks that, â€Å"Everything Indian is haloed in mystery; the caves, the landscape, even the bird that the English see in a tree and cannot identify, for â€Å"nothing in India is identifiable, the mere asking of a question causes it to disappear and to merge in something else† (201).The Marimba caves carry an enigmatic power. Forester comments that this power lies in their defiance of time and meaning, stating that â€Å"Nothing is inside them, they were sealed up before the creation of pestilence or treasure; if mankind grew Uris's and excavated, nothing, nothing would be added to the sum of good or evil† (Forester 119). Marimba caves may also serve as another example of the need to determine mystery from muddle. Earlier in the novel, a conversation is posed concerning the difference between the terms.Adele generally admits to abhorring mysteries, while Fielding chimes in agreement that â€Å"We English do† (73). However, it is Mrs.. Moore who makes the distinction between liking a mystery and disliking a muddle. The conversation ends with the question as to if India is a muddle. If India is a muddle, or not; what then would the caves be? Perhaps if the definition of the caves can be determined, then one could unlock the answer to whether I ndia is a muddle or mystery. The difference between the terms mystery and muddle are never clearly defined in the novel.However, a mystery by definition generally has an answer at the end. The implication of the word muddle is that there is no answer and randomness exists. If one examines the caves and the events within them, perhaps muddle could be the more appropriate description. Mrs.. Moore certainly described chaos, and the mystery AT Dale's Insult Is never solved. In ten caves scans ensues Ana no solutions are offered. This would indicate muddle. If the caves are muddle and reflect the real India; is India, therefore, a muddle or a mystery? Fielding seems to think â€Å"Indian's a muddle† (73).However, if India is a muddle than the implications of this could be boundless. For if this one country and culture is summed up as a muddle, could not the same opinion be made about most other places and people? Is mankind's existence random, chaotic, and essentially devoid of an y real answers? These questions sound undoubtedly like what Mrs.. Moore was asking herself outside of the Marimba caves. She drew a linear relationship between the nothingness of the caves and her own existence; indicating the same connection between these elements.Perhaps Forester's caves serve the purpose of showing that everything is essentially muddled. This muddle or mystery, subconscious, and freedom are all to be found with the Forester's Marimba Caves. Each character upon entering them emerges with their own definition of their meaning. Mrs.. Moore and Adele both approached the caves as if taking a walk within the confines of their own psyches, each discovering their worries and their fears. Aziza found himself victim to the caves and the mystery that happened within them.In addition, all of these characters experienced the ramifications and revelations that arise when one is free from societal observation. The question was posed of whether the caves represented freedom, the subconscious, or the mystery of India. After careful exploration, it is obvious that the caves represent all of these different elements. Perhaps the Marimba caves even represent what is seemingly impossible- both meaning and muddle. Their contradictory coexistence might be the real mystery of India, and of existence. , Works Cited Forester, E. M. A Passage to India.