Longing

Because Basil Bebbington is the main character of the short story, the author uses his desire for a happy life to explore the pervasive and all-consuming nature of longing. At the start of "The Master's Castle," when Basil turns 22, he begins "to worry that he's missing out on things" (153). Though Basil is in his early twenties, and thus has much of life to experience, shortly after graduating from technical college, he becomes convinced that his reality is devoid of meaning and purpose. He decides to apply for a job "as an optics technician at an observatory on the summit of Mauna Kea" because he longs for an existence defined by adventure and joy (153). Almost immediately after relocating to Hawaii and beginning his new job, Basil is convinced that his "life is finally beginning" (154). His hopefulness is stunted only five months later when he tries professing his...