s in the novel. To the point, in fact, that even the reader must agree with his wife when she tells him, all that matters to you is Ben Du Toit. For a long time now its had nothing to do with Gordon or with Jonathan or anybody else (Brink 261). Ben began his project trying to change the world. It is through characters such as the professor that he realizes that this is impossible. And the reader, too, must realize that it is impossible. It is the professor who warns Ben that there are only two kinds of madness one should guard against. One is the belief that we can do everything. The other is the belief that we can do nothing (Brink 244). This contrast to Ben shows the reader, once again, that Ben is human. That he is ordinary. He has ordinary desires and fantasies, an ego just like the rest of us. But in Phils reasoning, both Ben and the reader are given some direction, something to aim for. Melanie does this as well, in a very different way. Melanie is a definite counterpart of Ben in Brinks book. Notice even the spelling of her name: Melanie- reflective of Stanleys nickname for Ben. She has reached what Ben is trying to achieve. She has been able to separate the physical from the metaphysical. She has come to terms with her flesh and blood and earth existence, most likely in part because of her fathers upbringing. The novel goes far beyond the film in its description of Melanie, of her past, and of course it completely omits the affair between Ben and Melanie- a crucial key to understanding Bens character. Melanie was raped in her past, and since then she says she has learned that things such as being raped or going to prison didnt really happen to the person, but to his or her body. This is important in Bens moral struggle. He has lost nearly all of his worldly possessions- his family and friends, his job, even his church. But it is because he was not willing to compromise his soul. This same idea carries th...
