Exigence in Ishmael

In Daniel Quinn;'s Ishmael, Quinn's exigence is very clear; through Ishmael's conversations with the narrator, Quinn is, in effect, having a conversation with his audience. The fact that the real name of the narrator is never actually stated is also a factor in this, because it causes the narrator to be seen as a person who questions the society in which they live, but may not necessarily know why or how to change it; essentially the narrator fits criteria that many people could fit, and therefore is a relate-able character for the readers. In the book, Ishmael helps the narrator to reach the conclusion that humans are "destroying the world because [they] are, and a very literal and deliberate way, at war with it" (Quinn 130). Ishmael helps the narrator to reach the conclusion that the story that the Takers are enacting causes them to break the rules that keep nature in order, therefore setting them against the world itself. He later also helps the narrator reach the conclusion that, in order to save themselves and earth, the Takers must adopt a new philosophy. However, it is impractical to simply return to being hunter-gatherers, and that they must invent a new solution (Quinn 250). Through the dialogue between the characters, Quinn illustrates his exigence; he wishes the reader to recognize the problems with a culture that states that humans have the right to control the rest of the world and that they are the final product of the world. He states, through his book, that if humans do not find a way to coexist with the world in a less harmful manner, the human race and the world will eventually be unable to continue.