Babel - Entry 3
May 8, 2024 * literature, babel * part 3
Contents
This portion of the book represents a turning point in Robin’s outlook on Babel, and to what extent he can influence what goes on outside. After almost being caught and wounded doing something for the Hermes Society, he questions Griffin on whether what he’s doing is worth it, and whether it has meaning.
He starts to doubt Griffin, and wonders whether or not the Hermes Society can actually change things. Furthermore, his isolated life inside Oxford is abruptly interrupted when local mill workers show up outside to protest silver bars taking away their jobs, and that shakes him up. In the end, he decides to leave the Hermes Society, and struggles to reconcile with his new outlooks, his mental condition further worsened by the increasing courseload and the straining of the relationship of his cohort.
Analysis/Reflection
I feel like here, Robin is forced to choose between the idyllic and closed off life at Babel, and the more raw, unapologetic realities that come with being a member of the Hermes Society. Ultimately, he decides to choose the former, likely because he is unable to come to terms with multiple instances of the outside world encroaching upon his bubble, already fractured as the romantic glow of Oxford fades.
I also think this section pushes a stereotype of academia, that academics are too focused on their research to pay attention to life outside of their respective institutions, and while I don’t have any relevant experience in academia, I do think it’s a telling on how people ought to be somewhat holistic in their worldview, rather than just hyperfocusing on one thing.