How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #1
The creative and therapeutic resources of the brain—whether waking or sleeping or dreaming—are practically infinite. If we can just find the keys to all the locks. The power of dreaming alone is quite undreamt of!" (3.33)
Dr. Haber seems to see the brain as some kind of puzzle that needs to be unlocked, and once he's found the key, he thinks he'll be capable of limitless power. So how do you think he feels when he first discovers George's abilities?
Quote #2
A person is defined solely by the extent of his influence over other people, by the sphere of his interrelationships; and morality is an utterly meaningless term unless defined as the good one does to others, the fulfilling of one's function in the sociopolitical whole. (5.7)
In other words, a person's worth is based on how much power they have. (So what about powerless people? Are they worthless?) This is a problematic way to define yourself, to say the least. What happens once you have power? Who are you then? What do you do with it? Who do you spend your time with? Do you respect them if they don't have as much power as you do? The list goes on.
Quote #3
All of a sudden she was scared; a cold qualm took her. What was she doing? This was no play, no game, nothing for a fool to meddle in. He was in her power: and his power was incalculable. What unimaginable responsibility had she undertaken? (7.148)
Why is Heather afraid of wielding George's power? Which reaction makes more sense: being afraid of limitless power, or desiring limitless power? Which characters take these positions? Which perspective seems like the right one in the novel?
Quote #4
Why had this gift been given to a fool, a passive nothing of a man? Why was Orr so sure and so right, while the strong, active, positive man was powerless, forced to try to use, even to obey, the weak tool? This went through his mind, not for the first time, but even as he thought it he was going over to the desk, to the telephone. (8.78)
We told you that everything went back to Taoism. George gets the power because he's following the tenets of Taoism. Dr. Haber isn't, so he gets nothing. Basically, if you actually desire power, you're not going to get it—or if you do, it'll turn on you pretty quickly.
Quote #5
He was an important man, an extremely important man. He was the Director of HURAD, the vital center of the World Planning Center, the place where the great decisions were made. He had always wanted power to do good. Now he had it. (9.24)
In a way, Dr. Haber's desire for power makes sense. It's pretty difficult to do things like end world hunger without a lot of power. But do you think he goes about achieving his goals in the correct way? And does he really want to solve these big problems, or is he more into the idea that he will be the one to fix everything? Is it about world peace, or is it really just about William Haber?
Quote #6
The quality of the will to power is, precisely, growth. Achievement is its cancellation. To be, the will to power must increase with each fulfillment, making the fulfillment only a step to a further one. The vaster the power gained, the vaster the appetite for more. As there was no visible limit to the power Haber wielded through Orr's dreams, so there was no end to his determination to improve the world. (9.26)
That's exactly the problem here. Dr. Haber says that George's power is a means to an end, but it doesn't actually seem that there is any end to Dr. Haber's desires. We could see his next step being to make himself the ruler of the entire solar system. Then the galaxy. Then the universe. Then… who knows?
Quote #7
The lips within the curly beard parted in a straining, staring smile, a grin of ecstasy that made Orr turn away as if he had seen something never meant to be seen, both terrifying and pathetic. "Then this world will be like heaven, and men will be like gods!"
"We are, we are already," Orr said, but the other paid no heed. (9.127)
What do you think Dr. Haber means when he says men will be like gods? What does George mean when he says they already are? And why does Haber actually want to be like a god?
Quote #8
"HURAD really runs the world, as is," he said. "I can't help wondering why Haber needs any other form of power. He's got enough, God knows. Why can't he stop here? I suppose it's like Alexander the Great, needing new worlds to conquer. I never did understand that. How was work today?" (10.57)
You probably know who Alexander the Great is, but let's give a recap. He pretty much tried to take over the known world, and by age 30, he had created the largest empire ever known. He was so powerful and amazing that his existence is almost a myth (actually, there are lots of myths about it). But guess what? He never got to rule the entire world, just like our favorite sleep scientist, and he ended up dying pretty young.
Quote #9
This was the way he had to go; he had no choice. He had never had any choice. He was only a dreamer. (6.70)
It's easy to see George as a person with no power—and yet he's the one with the most impressive powers in the whole novel. Why is that? Is choosing not to choose a type of power as well?