The earth itself was unchangeable, the endless tracts of sand and water and pavement. It was the people, the perturbable madmen who roamed its surface, who viewed the world as transient and broken. Everett wished the earth could somehow reach up and still them, the crazy people, and invest them with its silence and permanence and depth.
In Jonathan Lethem's "Amnesia Moon," the narrative reflects on the contrast between the unchanging nature of the earth and the chaotic tendencies of humanity. The author illustrates how the physical landscape—comprising vast expanses of sand, water, and asphalt—remains constant, in stark contrast to the restless and unpredictable behavior of people who inhabit it. The earth embodies a sense of permanence that humans seem incapable of recognizing.
Everett, a character in the story, expresses a desire for the earth to calm the frantic actions of humanity. He yearns for a way to impart the earth's enduring qualities to the people, hoping to replace their transient and fragmented view of life with a deeper understanding of stability and silence. This longing speaks to a fundamental desire for connection between human existence and the eternal nature surrounding them.
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