B's Teachings

One of the most important themes in this novel are B's teachings. These are best exemplified by his public teachings at the end of the novel, though his private teachings are also important. In Der Bau, Munich, on May 16, B lectures on the Great Forgetting. It is strange that the educational and character-shaping structures of culture exposes people only once to the masters but continually to religion. It is necessary for B to repeat himself many times. Anywhere in the world, one can offer to show someone how to be saved and be understood because the ritual is delivered by divine means and transmittable by normal means. There is a complex and profound worldview implicit in this statement: that Man is born unsaved and without this ritual will lose the chance for eternal happiness with God. Man understands this because it is inherent in modern culture. The...