Jonathan Lethem's As She Climbed Across The Table Summary
1175 Words5 Pages
The universe is a barren, dark, mysterious backdrop on which the planet Earth is merely a speck of blue dust. Why are physicists attracted to the study and detailing of such a vast, empty place? In general, physicists are an overlooked group of workers, but nonetheless, they are a special breed of people. In Jonathan Lethem’s As She Climbed Across the Table, physicists are described in their workplace, and the personal life of a particular physicist is focused upon. Glenn D. Wilson, and Chris Jackson, are psychologists who researched the personalities of physicists and recorded their results in their paper, “The Personality of Physicists”. Finally, CNN reporter Ashley Strickland’s “Discovering the ‘final frontier’ of our Universe” cites an…show more content… Physicists tend to have an interest in accruing a greater wealth of knowledge of the world around them. As Jonathan Lethem puts it in his novel: “‘Physics seeks to dismantle the surface, perceive beyond it, to a truth comprised of particles…’” (Lethem 125). Physicists want to discover a deeper side to everything, including the wide expanse surrounding our planet. Satisfying their need for knowledge rewards physicists with a sense of accomplishment at having unraveled an intricate mystery. Wilson and Jackson reported two of their results display an interest in science specifically (Wilson and Jackson), which points to a logical verdict: physicists have a personal drive towards the pursuit of knowledge in science. Strickland’s article reveals a similar message, stating, “Years in the future, researchers admit that both of these exciting announcements might be regarded as mere stepping stones. But right now, these are the snapshots paving our way to a greater understanding of our 13.8-billion-year-old universe,” (Strickland). Physicists see the cold depths of space as wonderful stories, untold and ready to be transcribed into meaningful