Zen and the Art of Motorcycle

The Use of Imagery When Robert Pirsig wrote the book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” his underlying theme was a little more complex then what it may appear on the exterior surface. For an average reader, the book may seem to be a simple seventeen-day journey of a father and son across the country, along with a great deal of philosophy woven in between. If you aren’t careful enough in reading it, …

…of the book, the author uses the wind as an image to portray his ideas. On page 153 as Deweese continues to lure him away from his previous visions on Quality and truth, the narrator simply replies, “I keep listening to the wind.” To the narrator, the “wind” symbolizes the fragments of truth and knowledge that sporadically blow in front of him. Instead of shrugging them off like Deweese wants him to, he listens to them.