Robert Pirsig is an author who focuses on philosophical works, his most prominent being Zen and the Art of Nurturing motorcycles. In this book, Pirsig talks about himself, his multiple personalities and his son Chris. The foundation of this book is his relationship with Chris and how he hopes to repair the damage between them. In his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig explores the meaning and concepts of quality through the use of chautauquas and various literary techniques. Robert Pirsig is an author who focuses on philosophical works. His most notable novel is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. His main concern in this book is the theme of quality. He questions the quality and explains how it has affected his life and everyone's life in general. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig explores the meaning and concepts of quality and attempts to define it. According to Merriam-Webster, quality is defined as how good or bad something is. This applies to everything, such as a computer, food and even life. However, Pirsig goes beyond the superficial and explores the true meaning of quality. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, there are several narrators: Phèdre, Pirsig and the narrator himself. Phèdre is a former Pirsig figure who is a writing professor at a college. He becomes absorbed and driven to discover what defines what is good, or quality. While Phaedrus seeks quality, Pirsig seems to have deemed it indefinable. According to him, to truly experience Quality, you must adopt it and apply it as best as possible to your situation. When one is able to do this, it becomes easier to avoid the frustrations that plague many people... middle of paper ... apply it to their lives as best as possible. Yes, Pirsig provides a definition, but quality is something you have to discover on your own. Works Cited Crusius, Tim. “In Praise of Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” Western Speech Communication 40.3 (1976): 168-77. Communication and MassMedia completed. Internet. December 14, 2013. Gross, Beverly. "A Mind Divided Against Itself: Madness in 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'." The Journal of Narrative Technique 14.3 (1984): 201-13. JSTOR. Internet. November 21, 2013. Pirsig, Robert M. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. New York: HarperTorch, 1974. Print.Rodino, Richard H. “The Travel Matrix in “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” » The Journal of Narrative Technique 11.1 (1981): 56-63.JSTOR. Internet. November 21. 2013.