"Ishmael" is a novel by Daniel Quinn, which deeply explores the cause and effects of human ambition and expansionism. Quinn strives to answer the question of what makes humans so different from all the other animals which inhabit the Earth. The book's intended audience are at least semi-familiar with biblical and ancient history. Quinn's novel also serves as a warning to younger generations to change their ways for a better future.
Quinn claims that “civilized” life makes humans captives of a civilization system which more or less compels them to go on destroying the world in order to live. Ishmael correlates the decline of the environment and non-human species with the rise of human civilization. In the book, civilized society is referred to as a “Taker” society, while primitive society is referred to as “Leaver” society. We won't give up the taker culture for a simple reason. We want to have power. Takers desire control. We want to be in control of our lives, the earth, and in some cases other people.
Quinn also characterizes "Takers" as "cultural amnesiacs" of sorts. They do not waste time reminiscing about the past and only progress with their current culture to make it the best it can be. They are all about improving and becoming as effective and efficient as possible. Man exempts himself from the "peace keeping law", which describes the laws of competition. Since the Takers believe that man is supreme to all other beings on Earth, their competition poses a threat, "If competitors hunted each other down just to make them dead, then there would be no competitors. There would simply be one species at each level of competition: the strongest." Man exempts himself so he is able to become the best or essentially the strongest. Because the Takers are driven to be the best, they want to make sure that the human race is at the top.
But Man is flawed. This is why he is unable to be an effective ruler. Everybody understands that there is a flaw in general human nature, the flaw that man cannot determine the difference between right and wrong (in some cases at least). The purpose of prophets is to tell people the single one right way to live. This is the way that everybody on the planet needs to live if mankind is to be successful. The reason why Takers have prophets, but Leavers don't is that Leavers accept that different groups of people have different ways to live depending on their environment and their needs. Leavers don't believe in a single way to live, they understand that although their way works for them, it may not work for everybody.
This book was written to evoke knowledge about how the human race operates and to help people realized the way they are acting is serving as a catalyst which is speeding up the end of the world. Ishmael, the intelligent silverback gorilla protagonist, asserts that culture is the people of a society enacting a certain story. The story in which they enact relates man, the world, and the gods. A society’s story is often their religion or religious views. Ishmael then goes to explain the two stories the human race has been enacting. One is the story “civilized” people enact, where humans are the pinnacle of evolution and own the world and everything on it. The other story is the one “primitive” people enact, where humans belong to the world, and will keep on evolving.
Quinn goes so far as to compare Taker society to Nazi Germany. Taker society uses the basis that human superiority entities them to have their way with the world, just as Hitler’s myth of Aryan superiority entitled him to have his way with Europe. Ishmael serves as a way for the protagonist to spread what he has learned from the gorilla. Books are read by billions of people and are an easy way to transmit a message to a vast audience. In addition, I believe Ishmael was written to fulfill a need of Daniel Quinn’s to do everything he can to assist in diverging the human race from their culture, which he believes is slowly deteriorating the Earth.
I found the book to be incredibly believable, as frightening as that sounds. The points of view presented by Ishmael accurately describe how humans believe they are the sole rulers of the Earth. For example, when environmentalists say they want to conserve the environment, it implies that the environment is distinct from living organisms, namely humans. Ishmael's arguments are also backed by science. However, there was one caveat to the believability of Quinn's tale. At one point, the unnamed protagonist decides to leave work for weeks in search of Ishmael. In society this would not be acceptable or practical.
All of Ishmael’s views are believable despite the fact that they could be considered bias. Ishmael has spent most of his life in human captivity. This could explain why he views humans in Taker culture as slaves to Mother Culture. Man’s place in the world is to be the first without being the last. This statement means that we are the first intelligent species, but we should not be the last by destroying the world with our “progress”. I firmly believe that it would be impossible for all of Taker society to just give up their lifestyle and revive Leaver lifestyles. Humans by nature are way too selfish to give up their entire way of life, but a few small changes could have a huge impact on the future.
Quinn writes in a style that has many hidden hints which indicate certain aspects of society. The society described in the book, and today’s society, are both a huge ecosystem. Our society needs constant contact with other species in order to exist. We are all dependent on each other. It is evident that the society spoken about in this book is unyielding to new ideas and believes it is better than all other societies.
Ishmael uses an airplane analogy to assist in the comprehending of his civilization building lesson. You cannot build a successful airplane without knowing and understanding the laws of aerodynamics and gravity. Early aeronauts simply used trial and error. At the beginning of most flights the pilots would see other air vehicles and wonder why they fell. This is the same with society. One falls and another rises, based on the faults and shortcomings of the original one. Society continues to use this trial and error method; however we are running out of options.
The book means that society, culture, and the world will eventually cease to exist. This thought is somewhat cynical as in nature, everything is meant to end eventually. To the unnamed protagonist in this novel, it means that he has to stand up for what he has learned from Ishmael and convince people of the error of their ways. To Daniel Quinn it means that society must see something that inspires them to denounce their ways and let nature control the world again.
In the end, Ishmael the gorilla dies. This is symbolic of the responsibility of saving the world, being passed from the Leavers (Ishmael) to the Takers (unnamed protagonist). Even if the protagonist is able to spread his teachings, there is still a question about whether or not man will be able to carry out in saving the world without the teacher. The poster that Ishmael has hanging in his cage serves a greater purpose. It shows that Takers (humans) and Leavers (other species) are dependent on each other for survival. The message it relays is that without one, the other ceases to exist.
