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A concept that struck me in Chapter 14 was the contrast between reality, appearance and perception. Since I am not as adept at literary analysis as others in the class (yes you Gaby), this drew my attention more than the ongoings of the plot.

Mr Bast is introduced through his card at the beginning of the chapter. The women form their opinions on what a clerk "in the employment of the Porphyrion Fire Insurance Company" should look like, and are thus diappointed to find him being "but a young man, colourless, toneless, who had already the mounful eyes above a drooping moustache that are so common in London."

The women had a dissonance between what they were expecting and what they were presented. What do you do in this instance? If we expect order and find choas, such with evolution, how do we accept such a process?

Of course, we can never truly perceive reality. Everything is interrpreted physically and mentally. However, we carry expectations that are shattered. I think, and I speak with no psychological authority on this, that there is a degree of humiliation and a spark of defensiveness.

The instance made me sympathize with those who disagree with my views (and yes, they are views and opinions. They are no more facts since I have internalized them) much more. We are, and never have been, rational beings. There may be an element of embarrassment and pride in current beliefs that is not easily shaken.