Mental Captivity

“…A way out of the mental captivity that we have lived in for much too long.” (388) Although Alberto is referring to the captivity he and Sophie have been placed in by Knag, relevance of this quote extends far beyond the literal sense. Everyone is, in a sense, in some sort of mental captivity that prohibits a holistic and unbiased view of the world. People are indoctrinated at birth into a certain culture and environment that influences one’s thoughts about issues, many of which people cannot substantiate by logical thought processes. For example, if I ask a teenager whether they consider themselves a Republican or a Democrat, I can assure you that most, if not all, will respond with the same identification as their parents have chosen. Imposed values, such as political and religious values, thus deter an individual from thinking on their own, creating their own path. Philosophy is the key to this mental captivity; this is highlighted in Sophie’s World.

            Sophie, with Alberto’s help, immediately finds the wonder with life, the magic of philosophy, and thinks: “How tragic that most people had to get ill before they understood what a gift it was to be alive. Or else they had to find a mysterious letter in the mailbox!” (5) Most people take being alive for granted, never fully appreciating what a remarkable event their very existence is in terms of the universe and time throughout the ages. By this “mysterious letter” Sophie is given the gift of wonder and philosophical thought. Along the timeline of an individual’s life there is an unrecognizable moment when the childlike awe with surroundings shifts to acceptance and even weariness of similar perhaps boring sights and events. “To children, the world and everything in it is new, something that gives rise to astonishment. It is not like that for adults. Most adults accept the world as a matter of course.” (18) This acceptance of the world is a mental captivity that adults bear without the slightest notice or care because in place of awe, they are required to focus on practical needs. Blind acceptance of the world inhibits learning and discovery; this confinement of the mind must be broken in order to fully appreciate life.

            With this blind acceptance of the surrounding world, people become accustomed to things we are able to perceive and the concept that this world is the true reality. With this belief comes blissful ignorance by which people enable themselves to “work themselves ever deeper into the fur…becom[ing] so comfortable they never risk crawling back up the fragile hairs again.” (18) Free will and reality are comforts people indulge in in order to ignore and avoid the bigger questions and possibly difficult truths; this chosen ignorance is a mental captivity that imprisons the mind from transcending worldly perceptions and beliefs. “Does our world consist of real things—or are we encircled by the mind?” (284) Sophie’s question embodies the questioning of reality so many people avoid asking.