I should begin by saying that I am not especially well versed in religious studies, particularly those of Islam. I can pick out Biblical names in a list, maybe paraphrase some of the stories associated therewith, but I am by no means a scholar. Upon starting the novel, I realized that Ishmael is a Biblical name, but that's the end of that story. I didn't know anything remotely beyond that.
So, I turned to all-wise Internet to save me from my ignorance. Here's what I learned. Ishmael is one of Abraham's two sons, Isaac being the other. In Christianity, Isaac became the more symbolic of Abraham's sons. However, in Islam the converse is true. Ishmael, (spelled Ismail in Arabic inflection) is the supposed ancestor of the Northern Arabs. He was a prophet. Jackpot. The name makes sense now. In addition, he aided Abraham in building the Kaba, an important Moslem landmark situated at the center of a mosque in Hajj, which has for its cornerstone a stone that is considered very holy.
So, implications for Quinn's novel. Whether an Moslem figure or a gorilla in an urban business complex, Ishmael is a prophet. Within the context of the novel, the gorilla is certainly this. He calls himself a teacher, but he is more than that. He possesses an other-worldly knowledge about the workings of Taker and Leaver cultures, and passes them unto the anonymous student in prophetic fashion. Before Student met Gorilla, he essentially had no idea what to do or how to live, questions that prophets teach us. By the end of the novel, however, Student has made considerable progress. So his name is fitting in this sense.
In addition, Gorilla Ishmael is a builder of sorts, much like Moslem Ishmael who built the Kaba. The Gorilla provides Student with the foundation to begin changing the world, which is in effect, building something. A set of procedures, lessons, teachings - a manifesto of ways to spread this information to others in hopes of inducing change. Again, the name makes perfect sense.
Here's StumbleUpon's reccomendation for follow up reads!
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1ObtE9/bookseer.com/?title=Ishmael&author=Daniel+Quinn/
This too.
http://www.friendsofishmael.org/index.shtml
I also was going to search about "Ismael" as the biblical character, because there might be some connects between the biblical character and the fiction character. I think the name might be a symbol for the gorilla. Both characters have been neglected by someone, people, or the world, but they have become great prophets. As you said, Ismael, Abraham’s son, was the important prophet who led Islam, and Ishmael, the gorilla, is a prophet who teaches how to live to the student and us, readers.
ReplyDeleteYou have really good comparisons between the two characters and interesting stories about “Ismael”!