In the philosophical novel Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, Sophie discovers the history of philosophy and concludes with the truth about her own existence. Many motifs predominate: the mirror, the boat, dreams, constant illumination. But the most important motive is that of Sophie's relationship with her mother. As this motif develops and Sophie and her mother become closer over philosophy, only to be torn apart again, it ultimately helps to highlight the theme of this novel: living in the moment , because nothing is permanent. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the book, Sophie has a rather distant, albeit polite, relationship with her mother. During Sophie's introduction, it is explained that although her mother sometimes called their house "a menagerie", Sophie was "rather happy with [her menagerie]." It had started with the three goldfish, Goldtop, Red Ridinghood and Black Jack. Then she had two parakeets called Smitt and Smule, then Govinda the turtle and finally the marmalade cat Sherekan. They had all been given to him to make up for the fact that his mother did not return from work until late in the afternoon and his father was often away, sailing all over the world” (2). Gaarder's liberal use of commas in these compound sentences highlights how Sophie owns many animals, which in turn highlights the fact that they were compensation for not seeing much of her parents, her mother in particular. Additionally, the fact that Sophie is "pretty happy" with her animals suggests that she has not only become accustomed to her parents, but also enjoys the time spent without them. After Sophie reads her first philosophy paper, she corners her mother on her way home from work and asks her about some of the issues presented in the paper. After her mother puts in the potatoes, as Sophie had said, she asks, "'You didn't get involved with drugs, did you, darling?' Sophie was about to laugh, but she understood why the question was asked now. “Are you crazy?” » she said. “It only makes you more annoying!” » » (20). Sophie's mother wouldn't know if Sophie took drugs because she is often away. Additionally, this first dose of philosophy causes much consternation in her mother, suggesting that even though their relationship is distant, her mother cares about her. Sophie's mother's belief that the white envelopes are love letters is proof that the philosophy she is learning is bringing more of her worry upon her. Her mother finds a letter from the philosopher in the mailbox and, as there is no stamp, she concludes that it is a love letter. “Aren’t you going to open it?” she asks. In response to this, Sophie thinks: “Let her mother think it was a love letter. Although it was quite embarrassing, it would be even worse if her mother found out that she was taking a correspondence course with a complete stranger, a philosopher who was playing hide and seek with her” (28). Sophie goes so far as to pretend that she has a lover in order to protect her philosophy from her mother, emphasizing that she wishes her mother didn't know philosophy. It goes to such a point that “His mother was clearly worried. She had started speaking to Sophie in a different tone since the affair with the white rabbit and the top hat. (50) Philosophy, even though her mother does not know it is philosophy, makes her uneasy, speaking in a "different" tone than before, implying that she was not if worried or concerned about Sophie before she started learning.philosophy. When Sophie goes upstairs just to look at the mailbox, she asks, "Was he the one who told you about the rabbit and the top hat?" » asked his mother. Sophie nodded. "He...he doesn't do drugs, does he?" » (50). The hyphen after the first "he" betrays part of her mother's worry and that she is afraid to continue. Although Sophie herself does not take drugs, her mother fears that she will date someone who does, when in reality Sophie has no lover at all and is instead learning philosophy. After Sophie's visit to the lake, her mother's life questions and Sophie's answers continue to show how philosophy brings them together. After Sophie's mother brings her some dry clothes, she begins to question her. "Were you with him?" » she asked after a moment. 'Him?' — With him, yes. Him…. Your rabbit!' Sophie shook her head…. “Now I want the truth. Were you out all night? Why did you go to bed with your clothes on? Did you sneak out as soon as I went to bed? You're only fourteen, Sophie. I demand to know who you're seeing!' » (98-99). Sophie then explains that she doesn't have a boyfriend after all. The sudden flood of questions, one after another, suggests anger, anger, and dismay at what Sophie might be doing. Sophie did all of this as a result of what she read in his philosophy, and her mother worries about what she did – her philosopher causes her mother to worry more about Sophie, thus bringing them closer together. Sophie's confession is along the same lines, suggesting that she trusts her mother. The same thing happens when Sophie starts crying when on the news a major in the Norwegian UN battalion has been killed by a shell. Her mother asks, "'What's going on, Sophie?' 'Nothing.' “Yes, there is. You have a boyfriend and I'm starting to think he's a lot older than you. Answer me now: do you know a man in Lebanon?' » (217). The flood of complaints once again shows her mother's concern for Sophie. Sophie's reaction, of course, is due to the philosophy-related postcards she receives. After responding with a barrage of questions, Sophie runs upstairs and "pretends to be asleep even though she knew her mother wouldn't believe it." She knew her mother knew Sophie knew her mother wouldn't believe it either. Yet her mother pretended to believe that Sophie was sleeping” (217). Sophie and her mother, in that moment, have achieved some sort of peace between them, even if it is only temporary. Suddenly, she decides to tell the whole truth to her mother, who also confides in Sophie about her relationship with her father, thus strengthening the trust they have in each other. As Sophie's philosophy reaches its peak, so does her relationship with her mother. After Sophie discovers Berkeley and realizes that she is only part of a book, she runs home in a thunderstorm and meets her mother in the middle of a playground. As she runs , “the sky was pierced again and again by furious lightning” (286). When they come together, Sophie's mother wraps her arms around her. “What’s happening to us, kid?” asks his mother. “I don’t know,” Sophie replies, “it’s like a bad dream” (286). The lightning bolt not only dramatizes the scene, it also highlights how Sophie and her mother are at the peak of their relationship. His mother's question, "What is happening to us?" ” could refer either to what was happening physically – the storm – or to their relationship. The fact that Sophie's mother refers to Sophie as "little" also emphasizes that Sophie is still her daughter, she is still her "little". In this moment, the two are united in fear and disbelief, the height of intimacy of their.