Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a piece that provides ample fodder for the habitual deep thinker. With narrators of exceptional intelligence, the piece is elegant; their precision of vocabulary and depth of thought lends itself to various levels of analysis and interpretation. There is a compelling quality to the story, wrapped in and with literature. This book grounds itself in high intellect. The works of Husserl and Tolstoy appear significantly in the piece, coupled with the author’s own musings. The essence of its philosophy is examining the purpose in each individual’s life.
Interestingly enough, the central thematic elements of Barbery’s piece are best summarized in an Anna Karenina quote: “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.” (Tolstoy 242) As intelligent as she is, Paloma still grappled with the ‘meaning of life’ This …show more content…
Tea is wonderful, isn’t it? A distinctly european custom that is an act of communion, much like that described in Foster’s book. In chapter 2, ‘the breaking of bread’, (or sipping of tea), “is an act of sharing peace.”(Foster 7) In this case, it’s Renée sharing peace not only with Manuela, but with herself. Renée derives much internal peace when performing the “ritual”, and goes on to further explain the meaning of Tea. It’s not just a meal, it’s a moment, and “At moments like these in the web of life is revealed by the power of ritual, and each time we renew our ceremony, the pleasure will be all the greater…”(Barbey 91) Tea is a “Magical interlude”, “the reason human life continues to throb.” All of these qualities mentioned by Renée are aligned with those mentioned by Foster: Meals center around peace. The section on page 91 details the enormity of the event. It’s nurturing this sense of peace, via nourishment of body and soul. True, there may be little more than a cup of tea and some silence, but the power of the symbolic ritual is enough to weigh heavily in our character’s
Interestingly enough, the central thematic elements of Barbery’s piece are best summarized in an Anna Karenina quote: “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.” (Tolstoy 242) As intelligent as she is, Paloma still grappled with the ‘meaning of life’ This …show more content…
Tea is wonderful, isn’t it? A distinctly european custom that is an act of communion, much like that described in Foster’s book. In chapter 2, ‘the breaking of bread’, (or sipping of tea), “is an act of sharing peace.”(Foster 7) In this case, it’s Renée sharing peace not only with Manuela, but with herself. Renée derives much internal peace when performing the “ritual”, and goes on to further explain the meaning of Tea. It’s not just a meal, it’s a moment, and “At moments like these in the web of life is revealed by the power of ritual, and each time we renew our ceremony, the pleasure will be all the greater…”(Barbey 91) Tea is a “Magical interlude”, “the reason human life continues to throb.” All of these qualities mentioned by Renée are aligned with those mentioned by Foster: Meals center around peace. The section on page 91 details the enormity of the event. It’s nurturing this sense of peace, via nourishment of body and soul. True, there may be little more than a cup of tea and some silence, but the power of the symbolic ritual is enough to weigh heavily in our character’s