libris
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Has anyone else here read this book? I wasn't overfond of it myself.
It just seems so illogical at times. Over and over again, the main character, Chantal Prym, says that no good can come from evil. Yet, the crucifixion of Christ was an evil act right? Wasn’t Judas punished for his betrayal? But, according to Christians, it resulted in the salvation of all humanity and the genesis of their religion. So it is totally incorrect to say that no good comes from evil, at least according to the Christian perspective. Is Paulo Coelho saying the Christians have it wrong? I thought he was Christian. It’s just so confusing. Maybe it would make more sense if I were Christian myself.
And here’s another thing that bothers me. Chantal spends the whole book railing against the cowardice of the villagers. She’s sure they won’t go through with the proposal because of their fear. She knows she can’t steal the gold because of her fear. And in the end the old woman, Berta, is saved not because humans are inherently good, but because they’re fearful creatures. Chantal appeals to the villagers fear of getting caught. They begin to worry that the gold can’t be exchanged and they will have killed for nothing, or worse will kill and be punished. In the end, just before they pull the trigger, they’re brought back by economics. Weighing the cost of an action versus the actions reward. It’s to risky, not worth it. They recede into the night.
The message the angels convey to Chantal, the salvation of Bertha, is exploitation. Use what you know about yourself- your inner fear- to pull them back. What a sad message. Humans aren’t inherently good or evil- we’re just cowardly. Maybe I’m annoyed with the end because it strikes a vein. I want to believe that people are good, altruistic and always do the right thing.
Ugh, I just don't get this book!
(excerpt from my blog: http://bookaddiction.org/?p=26)
It just seems so illogical at times. Over and over again, the main character, Chantal Prym, says that no good can come from evil. Yet, the crucifixion of Christ was an evil act right? Wasn’t Judas punished for his betrayal? But, according to Christians, it resulted in the salvation of all humanity and the genesis of their religion. So it is totally incorrect to say that no good comes from evil, at least according to the Christian perspective. Is Paulo Coelho saying the Christians have it wrong? I thought he was Christian. It’s just so confusing. Maybe it would make more sense if I were Christian myself.
And here’s another thing that bothers me. Chantal spends the whole book railing against the cowardice of the villagers. She’s sure they won’t go through with the proposal because of their fear. She knows she can’t steal the gold because of her fear. And in the end the old woman, Berta, is saved not because humans are inherently good, but because they’re fearful creatures. Chantal appeals to the villagers fear of getting caught. They begin to worry that the gold can’t be exchanged and they will have killed for nothing, or worse will kill and be punished. In the end, just before they pull the trigger, they’re brought back by economics. Weighing the cost of an action versus the actions reward. It’s to risky, not worth it. They recede into the night.
The message the angels convey to Chantal, the salvation of Bertha, is exploitation. Use what you know about yourself- your inner fear- to pull them back. What a sad message. Humans aren’t inherently good or evil- we’re just cowardly. Maybe I’m annoyed with the end because it strikes a vein. I want to believe that people are good, altruistic and always do the right thing.
Ugh, I just don't get this book!
(excerpt from my blog: http://bookaddiction.org/?p=26)
