There are many different aspect of this novel that struck me in different ways. Typically when people are used for an experiment, they volunteer. However in every piece we have talked about thus far in the class, each subject has been used without their own consent. In this case of Octavian, I find it personally troubling that a young child was enslaved.  At this moment in the piece it becomes obvious that people are following Octavian around very closely, but it is hard to tell if they truly care about the young boy, or “Octavian” his label. They begin to get more intrigued with every single thing he does. The thoughts get deeper into what is behind Octavian’s silence, what goes through his brain, why does he wander off and what’s he doing?  Questions such as “What do you desire?” trigger more in-depth questions that allow for interpretation of how he processes the world.  Taking what is going on in his life, Octavian begins to question what his purpose is in life. He realizes a moment that he does not know his mother’s name, for she was given “a label” also.  Thus the questions and thoughts have aroused of what his lineage is. However what I feel is the ironic part of all this is that Octavian is fighting for the opposing force.

                At this moment in time, my deepest questions are where is Octavian going to end up, and does he discover his purpose, and does he ever figure out his mother’s name.

Bryan R's post, posted by Dr. Renzi on his behalf.