Soon after his father’s death, something peculiar starts happening to Benny. Benny’s father recently died, and his mother is suffering from depression. The novel follows the perspective of a young boy called Benny.

Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. GradeSaver, 20 November 2021 Web.These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. 'The Book of Form and Emptiness Study Guide: Analysis'. Next Section Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Previous Section Quotes How To Cite in MLA Format Warhol, Stanley. Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. TIME reviewed, “…Ozeki, a practicing Buddhist priest, infuses her story with Zen philosophy, using themes of mindfulness and our connection to the living world to highlight pressing modern concerns like climate change, capitalism and the function of art.” Update this section! Another critic of the social order is The Aleph who is involved with the counter-culture art world that protests consumer culture and capitalism. With the help of the Book, the omniscient narrator, Benny understands the voices and also finds his own as a commentary on modern issues. As such, Annabelle’s hoarding acts as our constant hunger to consume and letting impermanent objects give us purpose in life. Benny is used as a vessel of the universe to express the ecological effects of our unbridled exploitation of earth resources. The novel showcases the interconnectivity that exists in the natural world which comes full circle in terms of our symbiotic dependency. Whereas the mother proceeds to add clutter in the house in response to the passing of her husband. Ozeki incorporates Zen principles in the narrative to address the consequences of consumerism and the exploitation of the natural world.įollowing the death of his father, Benny starts hearing voices from objects around the house which progresses to things outdoors. Moreover, the eponymous book becomes a narrator in the novel acting as a voice of reason and wisdom to the protagonist.

Through Benny and Annabelle, the story delves into our attachment to material possession in the way we give them meaning. The book tackles grief, mental illness, and climate change whilst speaking on achieving enlightenment, the power of art, and our connection with inanimate things. The grieving process for the characters takes different forms as means of coping, with Benny hearing voices and Annabelle developing compulsive hoarding. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The book form of emptiness