Interpret the ending of sophie's world book

It follows the events of sophie amundsen, a teenage girl living in norway, and alberto knox, a middleaged philosopher who introduces her to philosophical thinking and the history of philosophy. Mar 20, 2007 a pageturning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of western thought, sophie s world has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, having been translated into fortyfive languages and with over twenty million copies in print. Jan 01, 2007 sophies world by jostein gaarder is, in my view, a highly successful attempt to write a history of philosophy together with a story. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. This was my very first indepth reading on philosophy. Albert explains that the story had to end this way, but hilde disagreesshe suggests that sophie and alberto might still be present in their world. The essential charm of sophies world lies in the innocent curiosity of the young character, and the clever narrative structure gaarder designed to.

Nez floridas emerald coast real estate podcast with nathan abbott chillout music radio. Summarysophies worldmain characterssophie amundsenshe is very curious about the things surrounded her. Considering that the novel s ending reveals she is fictional, albert knag, the author, actually made those choices for her, too, which seems to point to sophie s complete lack of agency. This philosophical game foreshadows the point at the end of the book, where the positions of the characters in terms of perception are changed. I am merely trying to read it and give it to the world.

Sophies world became an alltime hit at the time of release and more when the english version got published. Sofies verden is a novel by jostein gaarder about a norwegian girl, sophie amundsen, who one day starts receiving letters with philosophy lessons from a mysterious stranger. From this irresistible beginning, sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her norwegian village. Did your answers change by the time you reached the end of the novel. It follows sophie amundsen, a norwegian teenager who is introduced to the history of philosophy by alberto knox, a middleaged philosopher sophie s world became a bestseller in norway and won the deutscher jugendliteraturpreis in 1994. A novel about the history of philosophy jostein gaarder the book is pretty much a modern day version of platos dialogues the author uses the socratic method to drive discussions between the characters in the book. Sophies world a berkley book published by arrangement with farrar, straus and giroux, inc. The washington post book world just as remarkable for its playful premise as it is for its accessibility. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Once again gaarder plays with reality by placing the book sophies world as a physical object even within the world of sophies world. After some increasingly absurd occurrences, sophie and albert disappear.

Sophie s world became a bestseller in norway and won the deutscher jugendliteraturpreis in 1994. How many of the novels terms and references were you already familiar with. Sophies world encompasses numerous time periods, cultures, discoveries, and belief systems. I would highly recommend the book to individuals seeking to understand the basic philosophical principles of the classic philosophers. I loved the book, but i found the ending starting from sophie.

Which aspects did you most want to research further. Alberto is an excellent teacher because he forces sophie to think things out on her own and does not make things easy for her but he also cares about her and wants her to learn. One day, i received two messages in my mailbox and a post card address to hilde knag. In this sophie s choice excerpt he describes a young polish mother, sophie, with her two small children, being transported in a crowded train by german soldiers during world war ii to auschwitz, the nazi concentration camp. I read this book over the course of a month, while reading other books in parallel, and sometimes taking a break from it on purpose. However, sophie calms the mother down by telling her that the mother will meet the philosopher at the party they are holding on mid summer eve. Sophies world is a novel by jostein gaarder that was first published 1991. Identify a symbol of significance that is in sophie s choice. Hilde thinks she can feel sophie, who is now one of the invisible people in her world. After sophie and alberto escape, they find themselves in the real world but unable to interact with its inhabitants. Few readers are likely to end the book with less or. In the end, gaarder doesnt bother to explain what is and isnt real in his book he leaves this up to us. When sophie s mother sees her playing with legos, what does sophie tell her mother.

She tries to hold the majors attention, as alberto instructed her. May 23, 2016 sophies world history of philosophy duration. Where are sophie and alberto after their adventurers in the binder end. Or did i miss out some deeper significance hidden in the ending. Its nice to read that im not the only one who is wondering about the end. However, this is one of the finest books ever written in the history of literature and you got to read it. Jostein gaarders world bestseller sophies world is a book about philosophy, as you may have guessed from the title of this article. Sophies world ending of sophies world showing 18 of 8. The novel was the basis of a 1982 film of the same name. This is a combination party for mid summer eve and for sophie s 15th birthday that happens a week earlier. If you want to experience the twists and turns of the story for yourself, stop reading right here. Sophies world is the story of a young scandinavian girl named sophie amundsen.

Sophie s mother thinks sophie is in trouble with a boy or man or going crazy. One day fourteenyearold sophie amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, each with a question. A novel about the history of philosophy new ed by gaarder, jostein isbn. He receives her notes and feels like he is being watched. He was awarded the pulitzer prize for fiction, the howells. When hilde is alone again, she resumes reading sophies world. It is a pageturning adventure as well as a history of western philosophyfrom the discourse of ancient greece to debates about the big bang. Complete summary of jostein gaarder s sophie s world. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sophies world. Sophie s choice won the us national book award for fiction in 1980. Sophie seems more willing than alberto to believe in the existence of spirituality and mysticism. I think its correct that you have to use the knowledge from the book to discover. Gaarder leaves a clue in this chapter to set up this twist with the line.

This question alone is what embarks sophie, the main character in the novel, on a never ending journey of questions and through the world of philosophy. Apr 09, 2017 sophies world is one of the most famous philosophical books in the history of literature. She learns how early humans made up myths to explain natural. Few readers are likely to end the book with less or same curiosity levels than at the beginning. Make this book your starting point and move forward. She understood that people had always felt a need to explain the processes of.

Sophies world was a long, strange, and most unpredictable novel. Originally published july 21, 2009 if you enjoy bizarre novels where nothing is as it seems, and the line between the real and the surreal blurs, sophie s world, by jostein gaarder, is for you. In the end, sophie and alberto manage to escape from the majors mind into the real world. Sophie world and ancient greek philosophy part 1 duration. Sophie distracts albert while alberto works on his plan to escape alberts clutches. Jostein gaarder introduces us to his new book the world according to anna duration. Sofies verden is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. Norwegian schoolgirl hilde receives a book from her father called sophies world on her 15th birthday, which is june. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary. The philosophical world which is often complex, vast, and difficult to contemplate in a limited time we have needs simplified parables and analogies.

Dec 05, 1991 sophie s world is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. Daily mail what is admirable in the novel is the utter unpretentiousness of the philosophical lessons, the plain and workmanlike prose which manages to deliver western philosophy in accounts that are crystal clear. What happened after the end of the majors book was a little too blatantly. The book is written by jostein gaarder who is a norwegian writer. There are things in the book which you will understand when you read it the 2 nd time. Sofies verden sophie s world, jostein gaarder sophie s world is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. But the history of philosophy is very well done and informative. Dec 22, 2007 sophies world was a long, strange, and most unpredictable novel. She jumps around, yodels, and climbs a tall tree, only to find that she cant climb back down. Discussion of sophies world philosophy discussion forums. An international bestseller, it is both a mystery novel and a history of the major philosophies that have impacted the world. Sophies world chapter 5, democritus and chapter 6, fate. Learn more about sophies world with a detailed plot summary and plot diagram. Who do you think put the messages in sophies mailbox.

The book simplifies the complex world of philosophy. A novel about the history of philosophy fsg classics kindle edition by gaarder, jostein, moller, paulette. It follows sophie amundsen, a norwegian teenager who is introduced to the history of philosophy by alberto knox, a middleaged philosopher. William styron 19252006, a native of the virginia tidewater, was a graduate of duke university and a veteran of the u. A novel about the history of philosophy fsg classics. In the end its the author who does things because sophie and alberto want them too. Though the book does have a neat and tidy ending that provides sophie with a clear answer about the strange world she visits, the main message of the book encourages questioning and the discovery. His books include lie down in darkness, the long march, set this house on fire, the confessions of nat turner, sophies choice, this quiet dust, darkness visible, and a tidewater morning. Sophie s world is novel by norwegian author jostein gaarder, published in norway in 1991 and in english in 1995. The story explores themes of philosophy, reality, and literature as. Finally, midsummers eve arrives and guests show up in sophie s garden for her party. William styron, the wellknown american novelist, received the pulitzer prize in 1967 for the confessions of nat turner. Sophies dad is a mysterious characteran absentee father who seems to care about sophie, but rarely gets to spend time with her.

All that said, this is a classic of its unique kind. Oct 11, 2014 a read through sophies world by jostein gaarder. The book begins with sophie receiving two messages in her mailbox and a postcard. Through successive letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course. Sophie s world is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. Its implied that sophies inquisitiveness about the world is in some ways inspired by her fathers absence. I think that sophie s number that is tattooed on her arm is a significant symbol in the novel. Or, if someone who has good knowledge of philosophy teaches you about it. Sophies world february 21, 2018 february 26, 2018 makarena the first time i started reading sophies world by jostein gaarder was last year in october, but i only read the first few pages and then completely forgot about. Hilde is totally involved in reading the philosophy book about sophie.

A novel about the history of a cross between bertrand russells history of western. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sophie s world. Does reading a novelor any book constitute a philosophical project. Sophies world by jostein gaarder is, in my view, a highly successful attempt to write a history of philosophy together with a story. Mar 20, 2007 sophies world by jostein gaarder, 9780374530716, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It follows sophie amundsen, a norwegian teenager who is. When sophie first starts receiving letters from the philosophy teacher, she finds that each one is slightly damp, having two little holes in it. Published in 1991, the book was a resounding success selling millions of copies and being translated into over 50 different languages the original book was written in gaarders native norwegian. She in turn learns about philosophy by reading about sophie s study of philosophy, never suspecting that she is merely a character in a book sophie s world written by a philosophy teacher named jostein gaarder to teach teenagers the beauty of philosophical discourse. The reader is introduced to hilde, a young girl of sophie s age, with the same birth date. It seemed to me that gaarder simply got tired from writing and wanted to end the book, so he wrote out some rubbish in 5 minutes. It was controversial for the way in which it framed styrons personal views regarding the holocaust. A novel about the history of philosophy kindle edition by gaarder, jostein.

Ophie world a novel about the history of philosophy sophie s worl1d i a berkley book i. Hildes mother enters the room and wishes her good morning. Then at the end of sophies world, the book that hilde is reading, while at a party for sophie on june 15, alberto and sophie disappear. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

A novel about the history of philosophy sophie s world. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. I would like to share to you a little part of my life in the book of sophie s world. Read ebook on the web ipad iphone and android sophie s world. What are the three problems that sophie lists at the end of this chapter. I wasnt particularly interested in the story as such. Hilde carries out her plan at the copenhagen airport while her father is changing planes. Sophies own story too is relatively weak despite a dramatic twist literal in the middle. Alberto knoxsophies teacher, alberto knox represents the ideal philosopher. Together they explore the entire history of philosophy, and find out more about who they are themselves.