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Part 6, Chapter 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Razor’s Edge, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Wisdom and the Meaning of Life
Social Norms and Conformity
Trauma and Self-Destruction
Snobbishness, Social Status, and Cosmopolitanism
Truth and the Problem of Evil
Summary
Analysis
Somerset interrupts his account of his conversation with Larry to add that he (Somerset) is not trying to give a full or even accurate account of Hinduism or Vedantic thought. He doesn’t know enough about either to do so. Instead, he is trying to give an account of Larry and the thoughts Larry had during their conversation. He adds that he doesn’t think he has had a stranger experience in his life than sitting in a “garish” restaurant, talking with Larry about God and the Absolute.
In this chapter, Somerset seems to anticipate potential criticisms of his explanation of Hindu ideas by saying that he is only recounting what Larry said instead of trying to accurately capture the actual philosophy. Somerset remarks on the setting of their conversation in a “garish” restaurant to argue the idea that pursuing spiritual meaning doesn’t necessarily mean renouncing the world; instead, spiritual meaning can be found in day-to-day life, including in some of the most unlikely places.
Themes
