Reply To: Did you learn anything about monks in the novel that surprised you?
I am wondering what makes a young man decide that they want to be a cloistered monk. I am not talking about a religious explanation (like a “calling”) but more about a personality type. The one that was too curious, Simon, wasn’t going to last in this setting.The one that was a “good monk” had cut off his family without warning and had caused great pain.
I will freely admit that I find the idea of a world that is closed off intellectually and emotionally and mired in routines quite creepy. I am thinking of modern-day scenarios where young men of a certain personality type band together, cut themselves off from women and families and from a healthy emotional life, and practice rituals… and quite frankly, the examples that come to mind are not comforting.
My apologies if this is a harsh judgment on something that people value
