METAMORPHOSIS

There appears to be a general consensus that Nicholas's lack of a transformation is one of the great disappointments of The Magus. However, as Zach points out in his blog it is possible that Allison plays a much larger role within the plot than is apparent at the first reading. This notion has compelled me to explore the theme of transformation within this novel.

Dr. Sexson said in lecture yesterday that one of the ways you can tell that someone is suffering from a mental condition is their denial of said condition. This description is very befitting for Mr. Nicholas Urfe. If one were to subscribe to this notion, than the end of the novel perfectly illustrates Nicholas's lack of a transformation. In the final scene he still cannot understand what his faults are, and attempts to place the blame for them on the puppeteers of the god game as well as Allison.

I recently read a passage from the Bible that prompted me to think back to an earlier point in the novel:

"These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb".  Revelation 7.14

This verse from the book of Revelation reminded me of the trial scene. The thirteenth figure to appear at the table was dressed in a "long white smock". After the removal of their costumes, all of the "doctors" present at the judgement table are dressed professionally, and it would appear that they have been through the transformation of Bourani themselves, and come out of it as part of a different segment, the elect. They are no longer bounded to the limitations of their ignorance, but have achieved a higher sense of consciousness through their own tribulations. Unfortunately, as Megan noted in her blog the reader never gets solid evidence for any transformation in Nicholas.

While she did not go through the same ordeal as Nicholas, it would appear that Allison has made the biggest transformation of any character in the novel. Prior to Nicholas's departure, she was limited by her need for a relationship, a factor that stunted her mental and emotional growth. After his return, Allison is presented as an individual who no longer needs their relationship to survive.

This theory may be wild unfounded speculation, but it is the result of exploration that is made possioble by the open ending of this novel.