Revolver Theme of Wisdom and Knowledge

Knowledge in Revolver is more about awareness and wisdom than learning from books in school. There are certain important truths that some characters are privy to and others are not—like Einar and his gold-stealing scheme or Maria and her certitude about the Bible and its messages. Plus Einar is constantly telling Sig to "know everything you can know," which is pretty weird advice coming from the guy who's been lying to him all these years. In short, wisdom and knowledge are hard won in this book, so what folks have, they cling to fiercely.

Questions About Wisdom and Knowledge

  1. What does Einar mean when he tells Sig to "Know everything you can know"? Is there something specific his dad is hinting at, or just in general?
  2. Is there a certain type of intelligence that is valued in the text over others? Sig and Einar seem to outsmart the other characters around them, but why is that?
  3. What does Revolver tell us about knowledge's relationship to truth? Is it worth knowing something if that something is a lie?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

In Revolver, Sig and Einar both have a knack for learning about how things work, which saves both of their lives.

While Einar encourages Sig to know stuff, he wants to limit the type of things Sig knows. If Sig found out Einar's secret, his dad would be crushed.