Book II, Vertical Time Analysis
The ninth chapter is brief and impressionistic. It opens with Ben
describing the mechanics and effects, physical and psychological, of the
meltemi wind on Idhra. It reminds the reader of Ben's specialization,
weather, and helps picture the Greek Islands far better than Jakob has
in his quick passages here and there. He quickly gets lost in the
treasures of the huge, eclectic library, but cannot find the journals.
He pictures Jakob burying them, as Jakob himself earlier describes Jews
doing with their treasures, including writings. He then comes upon parts
of the house that have long been closed off and forgotten. Note the
chest in which Jakob as a boy had hidden from the Nazis. He likens the
picture of interrupted life that he experiences with the excavations at
Vesuvius. He pictures Jakob and Michaela's daily lives and, notably, is
envious. This mirrors his attitude towards Naomi's relationship with his
mother. He contemplates how Michaela undresses his spirit and brings
his life to belief. The phrase is gradually developed in italics,
suggesting that it is a line from Jakob's poetry that helps Ben
interpret what he is seeing and feeling. He is struck by how powerfully
he feels Jakob and Michaela present, seeking to be alone, even though he
knows the circumstances and certainty of their deaths. Recall the
mystical passages in Book I from the Zohar, stating that, "All visible
things will be born again invisible" and Jakob's frequent meditations on
unfinished lives.
Book II, Phosphorus Analysis
The tenth chapter opens with a study of lightning from the scientific
and anecdotal points of view. Both narrators have piled up interesting
stories on various subjects in this way. They lead this time, however,
to Petra, Ben's four-month lover on Idhra. It is filled with his
enthusiasm of early enchantment, which he and Jakob have both earlier
described and moves through their sharing of Jakob's passion for
communing with Jakob's spirit. He also thinks about losing Naomi. Petra
is responsible to two discoveries: a note from Michaela to Jakob
announcing that she is pregnant, and Jakob's lost journals. The former, a
surprise, turns up under the bed cover, awaiting the Roussoses' return
from Athens. The latter turns up while Ben is cleaning up the mess that
Petra makes of Jakob's library. He finds a forgotten wing of the house
and wanders through interrupted lives, feeling that Jakob and Michaela
are present and want to be alone.
The chapter fills in the final details on Ben's parents' life before
the camp and describes how Father escapes to join the partisans. It is a
rather heroic posture for the man who has been shown to be frightened
of his shadow . Ben recalls stories of digging up mass graves to hide
Nazi atrocities, relying on Jakob's published words. Ben contemplates
whether fear can be passed down to children, worrying about his own
progeny, should he have any. He sees a number tattooed on a baby's head.
Recall him lying next to Father's camp tattoo while listening to music.
Petra, who is introduced and quickly dispatched in the familiar
fashion, he imagines being tattooed by lightning.
A storm not unlike Hazel strikes Idhra on the night that Ben finds
Petra tearing apart Jakob's library. Rebuked, she storms away. As he
restores order, Ben sings Liuba Levitsky's song to lure Jakob and
Michaela back. He finds the lost journals and a scarf identical to
Naomi's. It seems likely that in the final chapter he will try to
reconcile with Naomi.
Book II, The Way Station Analysis
The final chapter takes place in Athens and aboard a homebound plane.
Ben sees Petra already taking up with another man. He encounters lovers
on the mountainside and realizes that he must try to come back to his
wife. On the flight, he imagines possible scenarios for the meeting and
scenes of his parents - as he recalls them and as they should have and
probably had been, outside his sight: completing a circuit of strength.
Ben sees that he must give what he most needs.
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