Dichotomies within the whole

One of the most interesting parts of this book for me was the presence of dichotomies, as presented in multiple ways. The first is perhaps the shifting narrative between even chapters and odd chapters. As discussed in class, the odd numbered chapters are in the past tense whereas the even numbered chapters are in the present tense. This dichotomy of time certainly adds to the “fantasy” aspect of the novel because of course it is a basic law of physics that no single point can occur in two different places at the same time. As the novel progresses, the reader becomes aware of this violation of physics as the reader realizes that the two narrators are in fact the same, though in different consciousness states. As a neuroscience major, this was particularly fascinating for me. One of my favorite quotes was “I input the data-as-given into my right brain, then after converting it with via a totally unrelated sign-pattern, I transfer it to my left brain, which I then output as completely recorded numbers” (32). This quote is presented with a crude illustration of the brain split roughly into two halves. Another dichotomy – left, right. In particular, this capitalizes on many of the themes we have discussed this year in what it takes to be human – here, the brain is described as essentially a machine that can broken down into parts. It is an information integration system and nothing more. This is illustrated by the simplicity of the drawing and the simplicity of the sentence. Throughout the novel, dichotomies form within the whole: even and odd within the number system, past and present within the time system, left brain and right brain within the nervous system. Parts make a whole.