Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Book Review

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, is a story that never gives you a direct answer on what the meaning of life is.  My theory on the meaning of life is that it is nothing and everything at the same time because it has infinite possibilities, but it also depends on the way we think, and how we interpret commodities. 

Since the very beginning of his story, Jeremy has been looking for the meaning of life.  At first, he was just looking for the keys to the mysterious box, but then he gradually became more curious, asking what the meaning of life is to everyone he had contact with, always getting different answers.  It's important to him because, unconsciously, he thinks that somehow it will make him feel closer to his father, or satisfy his feelings of grief in some way. 

At one point, we see Jeremy having a crisis, refusing to get out of bed (158 Mass), pondering that unanswered question, what is the meaning of life?  Similar to my previous deduction, finding out what the meaning of life is, could give him a reason to move on past his father’s death, and reach the final stage of grief, acceptance.  Even if he had already moved on from his father’s death, the box incident seems to have unburied some of those emotions, making the search even more intense. 

As for my take on the matter, my personal reasoning is that asking what the meaning of life is, seems to be a vague question, but what makes sense is that there is no meaning of life.  Now, please do not mistake this for nihilism, I don’t believe that it’s pointless to live, simply that there is no answer to what life means.  

Different cultures have different beliefs, some people have personal opinions about it, but most people never think about it, or brush it off.  As I said before, I believe there is no specific meaning of life. However, if everyone has their own beliefs and theories, those ideas usually are just what is important to them individually, not what life actually means.  

Furthermore, I believe there is no meaning of life, because there simply isn't.  Plants and other organisms don't ponder the meaning of life like humans do.  They are there because they need to be and are supposed to be.  We humans are too smart by half, so to speak.  We think  there has to be some grand plan, too complex to understand. But in actuality, we are just here and that's it.  We come, then we die.

Moreover, the meaning of life is basically meaningless, because of how we define what,”meaning”,”purpose”, and,”will” mean.  These are just terms we humans use to try to make sense of reality in our minds.  But that doesn't mean it’s a rule of the universe,  it's just how our minds comprehend abstract concepts. 

The meaning of life is nothing because of the way we interpret concepts, and just how humans evolved to be curious and overthink things, always trying to find answers that just might not be there.  You can claim that the meaning of life is to spend time with family and friends, but truthfully, it's up to you. 

Bibliography

Mass, Wendy. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of life. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2008.