The Message of IshmaelQuinn gains a unique perspective on humanity through the novel's main character, Ishmael. Ishmael is a gorilla. And Ishmael is a teacher who communicates with humans telepathically. At first glance, this hardly seems like a character who would appear in a serious book; it's more of a children's story, a fable, or maybe a bad science fiction novel. Yet Ishmael is none of these things, and Ishmael is a strong character, with a powerful intellect and a serious goal. The character of Ishmael must be non-human to be effective. Looking at civilization from the outside gives it a perspective to criticize humanity without hypocrisy. Hearing the oppressor repent is not as effective as hearing the voice of the oppressed demanding freedom and restitution. At the beginning of Ishmael, the author writes about a day in his life when he found what he thought was a really ridiculous ad in the dating section. from a newspaper: TEACHER seeks student. Must have a sincere desire to save the world. Apply in person. Investigating to expose the fraud, he came across Ishmael in room 105 of a nondescript office building. Ishmael sat calmly, nibbling on a thin branch. Momentarily shocked, Quinn stumbled towards a chair. He looked into the gorilla's eyes and, to his surprise, the eyes spoke to him calmly. Nodding in response to an unspoken question, Ishmael said silently, “I am the teacher. » In language that one would expect of a well-educated man speaking with a friend, Ishmael told Quinn his life story. Much of this was spent in captivity, before a wealthy older man befriended and educated him. At the end of Ishmael's story, Quinn was still somewhat confused. I sat there for a minute, then I said, "I'm trying to figure out what this has to do with saving the world." » Ishmael thought for a moment. "Who among the people of your culture want to destroy the world?" "Who want to destroy it? As far as I know, no one specifically wants to destroy the world." "And yet you are destroying it, each of you. . Each of you contributes daily to the destruction of the world." “Yes, that’s true.” "Why don't you stop?