SOPHIE’S WORLD BOOK REVIEW Write a short plot summary of Sophie’s World. Sophie Amundsen is a 14-year old school girl. One day, she discovers a mysterious letter in her mailbox. The letter is short and contains two enigmatic questions: Who are you?, Where does the world come from? She learns later that the author of the letter is actually a philosopher named Alberto Knox. He is inviting her to take a short course in the history of Western philosophy. She is intrigued as well as fascinated, so she accepts the invitation. In the next several days and weeks, Alberto writes her more letters, introducing her to the study of philosophy, and taking her on a tour through the history of ideas. With each letter, Alberto explains to Sophie each of the major philosophies and philosophers in the history of philosophy. He starts from the pre-Socratic philosophers and moves down to the contemporary philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre and Existentialism. Sophie explores philosophy with the guidance of Alberto and eventually the two of them meet up in person. A shocking thing happens half-way through the book. Sophie and Alberto learns that the two of them are actually just figments of some author’s imagination. They discover, to their horror, that the world in which they live in and all the people in it, including Sophie’s mom and friends, are just products of another person’s mind. They find out that they are actually characters in a novel called “Sophie’s World” This book was written by a father to his daughter for her fifteenth birthday. The girl’s name is Hilde Knag and the father’s name is Albert Knag. Sophie and Alberto were indignant. They wanted to get back at the author because they felt robbed of their dignity as persons. Now, they realize that they’re not really persons because they don’t have free will (since their every thought and action is determined by the author’s imagination). They wanted to get out of the book and find the author and his daughter in order to confront them. Somehow, they succeeded in jumping into the real world. But because they’re just fictional characters in a novel, they become invisible. Who are the characters? Describe each briefly. - Sophie Amundsen-Sophie is the protagonist of Sophie’s World. The student of Alberto Knox and received many letters about the course of Philosophy. Her life is the invention of Albert Knag. - Alberto Knox- Sophie’s teacher, Alberto Knox represents the ideal philosopher. Alberto is an excellent teacher in philosophy. He’s the one who send letters from Sophie to learn about Philosophy. - Hilde Møller Knag-Hilde is Albert Knag’s daughter and Sophie and Alberto are created for her amusement. Like Sophie, she is a deep thinker, and the philosophy in the book intrigues her deeply. Hilde is also extremely compassionate, and she feels for Sophie and Alberto while her father plays with their lives. - Albert Knag- Hilde’s father, Albert Knag is the brains behind Sophie and Alberto’s existence. He creates them as a birthday gift for his daughter, whom he loves deeply. Like Alberto, he is a philosopher at heart, and the world itself is enough entertainment for him. - Mother- Sophie’s mother is one of the funnier characters in the book because she provides a foil for Sophie’s philosophical adventures. - Joanna-Joanna is Sophie’s best friend and she is loyal and friendly, although she does not think about things in the same way that Sophie does. - Mom- Hilde’s mother is a very minor character in the book. Hilde mother often provides a stabilizing in?uence in her daughter’s life. - Dad- Sophie’s father is hardly mentioned throughout the book. He sends his daughter a postcard early on and it is clear that he cares for her, but his work keeps him away from home for most of the year. - Hermes-Hermes is Alberto’s dog who works as a messenger, bringing Sophie the lectures on philosophy and later taking her to Alberto. Albert Knag uses Hermes to wish Hilde happy birthday and help ruin the continuity of Sophie’s life. - Jeremy-Jeremy is the boy who Joanna begins passionately kissing at the end of the garden party. Sophie invites him because she knows that Joanna wants him at the party. Who is the hero of Sophie’s World? Defend your selection against at least two other possible characters. At first I think Sophie was the hero but no, yes she might help Albert Know in realizing that they’re just imagination of Albert Knag. But Alberto Knox was from the start took an action that brings them to the conclusion that they were all imaginations. Hilde, was on my list too, because though she tries to talk about the matter about Albert and Sophie being controlled by her father, but she didn’t do anything that can help the other two. So for me the hero in this story was Alberto Knox, the philosophy professor, other than he teach Sophie all he knows about philosophy for free and he never get tired to send letters for Sophie. But