Ishmael Button Dilemma Analysis

Ishmael Button Dilemma
“There is no one right way to live” (Quinn 152). In this quote, Daniel Quinn, the author of “Ishmael”, exquisitely condenses the book’s entirety in one sentence. Ishmael, the gorilla teacher, presents the narrator(readers) with a society where there are two groups: Takers, corresponding with civilized, and Leavers, corresponding with primitive, each of which have certain qualities. The Takers of society always make sure to attain surpluses, take what they want, and believe their exempt from world’s laws, however, the Leavers of society only take what they need, have low rates of problems, and follow life’s laws. Having said that, in my current state, as a homeless, depressed, and useless layabout, I’m given a choice

One where I can have a use in my life, be joyous, and have a promising future. While some may think that pressing the button will unleash a heaven upon them, it really won’t. Pressing the button would only evolve my current problems, life, family, future, etc., into something considerably more detrimental. To put it in another way, it won’t change me as a person or my destiny, I am who I am, it’ll just change my environment and the paths leading up to my faults. In chapter five, while discussing why people don’t go to paradise, Quinn, said by Ishmael, thoroughly states that “It’s because there’s something fundamentally wrong with humans” (48). This undoubtedly focuses on how snapping one’s fingers to a quality of “paradise” will never work. Moreover, he adds on to why we’re flawed with “something that makes people stupid and destructive and greedy and shortsighted” (48). Evidently shown, this predicts why pressing the button would allow these negative characteristics to take part during pre revolutionary times, therefore, negating all the so-called

Other species. Different people. Different others. Something that I almost missed while reading this book was the theme of diversity. Diversity in looks, thoughts, and mainly opinions. The Taker and Leaver culture was presented to guide humans to the right way, yet it did much more than that. The two different cultures were brought out because they were basically different. If I were to press the button and go back to pre revolutionary times, would I ever have met man when he wasn’t in control? The Taker culture wouldn’t have existed and I wouldn’t have a button to press. These different perspectives of how to live are defined by the laws of nature. For example, in chapter 10, when the narrator was explaining the myths of his people, he got onto the topic of Hammurabi’s laws. “And Hammurabi says, ‘Laws are things that tell you the one right way to live” (Quinn