Lost and Found- Ishmael chapter 10

Instead of beginning in the building where Ishmael was living, this chapter, began with the narrator explaining a situation he was in. An uncle had come into town and “expected to be entertained” (p.187) and the pupil had to do so for the time being. He disliked every minute and wished it would end. When it was time for the uncle to leave the pupil was informed that he was required to complete a job that he had put off. Instead of telling Ishmael he started his work. Soon after he began his tooth started hurting so he had it looked at. It was removed painfully and slowly. When he was done with his work he went to see Ishmael and explain what had happened. Upon arrival to the building an officer was locking up the place. Confused as was I at this point he asked what the situation was and the officer replied “getting this place ready for a new tenant. Again confused the pupil continued to interrogate the officer and learned that Ishmael was no longer in the building. The first thing the pupil did was to find Mrs. Solokov and ask her what had happened, although he soon learned that she had passed away recently. The pupil then mounted his own investigation of what had become of the gorilla. Soon he learned that Ishmael had been taken into a carnival act so the pupil drove to the location they were stationed at and found Ishmael.
When he found Ishmael he was expecting to be welcomed warmly be his teacher as did I. But to both our surprise Ishmael replied coldly with “Shut up” (p.196) and “Just go away and leave me alone”. At this point I was extremely confused and interested for the reason Ishmael was angered. On the pupil’s second visit Ishmael was back to his old self and from their they continued the lesson the pupil so eagerly desired. They spoke of the cultures of both the Takers and the Leavers. The Takers having a culture that, in their point of view, began around 1963 and the Leavers having a culture that began as long ago as anyone could know. The Takers needing prophets and teachers telling them how they ought to live and the Leavers knowing through generations of knowledge passed down. So Ishmael ended the session with “The Takers accumulate knowledge about what works well for things. The Leavers accumulate knowledge about what works well for people”. (p.206)