Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Phaedrus is the name that the narrator uses to refer to his old self, the consciousness that once occupied his body. The name is taken from an ancient Greek Sophist who appears in Plato’s Socratic dialogue, Phaedrus. Phaedrus, the narrator, was an academic prodigy who was highly analytical and grew disenchanted with the limited Western notion of reason. Having abandoned science, he began teaching English at Montana State University and began to develop a philosophy that revolves around a concept he calls Quality. Through this concept, he attempted to reconcile the subject/object duality that dominates western thought. When Phaedrus conducted further study on the Ancient Greek philosophers at the University of Chicago, he suffered a mental breakdown, was hospitalized, and subjected to electroshock therapy. Due to the therapy, Phaedrus’ consciousness changed to the narrator’s consciousness.

Chris is the narrator’s son. At the time of the novel and the transcontinental motorcycle trip that takes up most of the storyline, he is eleven years old. Chris complains frequently about stomachaches, which the narrator mentions have been attributed to early signs of mental illness. Chris’ relationship with his father, the narrator, is one of the main reasons that the narrator wants to resolve his issues with Phaedrus. The afterword reveals that Chris was murdered by robbers just before his 23rd birthday.

John is a friend of the narrator who accompanied him on many motorcycle trips. With his wife, Sylvia, John accompanies the narrator and his son, Chris, on this trip to Bozeman, Montana. John rides an expensive BMW motorcycle, and has no interest in maintaining the cycle on his own. The narrator uses John’s approach to motorcycle maintenance as a “romantic” perspective, while the narrator’s own hands-on approach is representative of the “classic” perspective.