A Canticle for Leibowitz

[webwizard333]

What a great book. I read it for English, and at first I thought it was ok, an interesting idea, but poorly done. Then my teacher took us into the symbolism of the book and I came to really love it. And the irony in the end if you catch onto the big secret is hilarious.

Second Coming of Christ finally comes around, but everyone's either dead or left the Earth.

I also feel it really defends Christian beliefs concerning euthanasia and temptation of pain very well and makes them easier to understand for the reader. All in all, a fun book that makes one think.

[Entlover]

I remember enjoying it when I read it, but it's been a long time. I remember a robot mule, the brother, a woman with 2 heads, and that's about all. Since I tend to be literal minded, would you mind giving me a clue or two about the symbolism? And how did you know the 2nd Coming had happened?
Thanks.

[webwizard333]

Well the following is all a spoiler, so get your highlighting mouses ready. Btw, I think you're think of the blue goat, not a robotic mule.

The first clue to the Second Coming of Christ is Benjamin, the immortal Jew. He has taken upon himself the burden of all of Israel and waits for the Messiah to come. Christian beliefs commonly accepts that the Second Coming will partially have to do with full saving of the Jewish people. The next fun clue was Mrs. Grales. What an interesting name, almost like the Holy Grail. This artifact is believed to have carried within it the blood of Chirst. According to rumors in the book, her second head Rachel (a female) came into being sometime after her life. In other words, she grew a second head from the fallout of the Flame Deluge. Then the new world nations annihillate themselves with nuclear weapons (a sort of endless repetion of the original Fall, with them achieving near perfection but then destroying it for not being as good as the original. EVeryone is killed, accept for Abbot Zerchi, who remains on Earth, and the clergy who take off in a rocket ship to the coloinies. Then finally, Mrs. Grales seems to die. Rachel, however, at this moment awakens. Abbot Zerchi tries to baptize her, but she refuses because she has no original sin, like Jesus didn't. Thus it can be deduced she is the Second Coming of Christ to Earth (and Earth alone, which raises interesting thoughts about the Fall and its affect of other worlds). The final clue is she gives abbot Zerchi the Eucharist.

[Entlover]

Thank you!
I must look it up and read it again.