Problem
Book: A Canticle for Leibowitz
I. "Sic transit mundus" "Thus passes the world." This is a play on the phrase used in a medieval ritual at the coronation of a pope. In the sight of the new pope, a cleric would burn some hemp and cry out, Sancte Pater, sic transit gloria mundi!, "Holy Father, thus passes the glory of the world!" He would then quench it and repeat the ritual twice more. It was meant to remind the pope of the transitory nature of earthly fame, so that he would keep humble and fix his priorities on eternal life (SS).
How do you think this applies to the novel?
II. Contrast the statue of St. Leibowitz in the abbot's office and the statue erected outside the Mercy Camp. What does each say about the characters who employ or admire these two different statues?
III. "Abbot Zerchi is, of course, in no way directly responsible for the holocaust that envelops the world for the second time. But Miller considers him indirectly responsible. As a monk, isolated in his monastery from the concerns of the world, he is symbolic of all those who are unconcerned, those who drop out, those who despair. Thus, A Canticle for Leibowitz is a novel of and for our time. In an age when the individual man feels ever further removed from the decisions of government which affects us all, Canticle reaffirms an old value. Says Miller: 'I am my brother's keeper!'"
Do you agree or disagree with this? Explain your answer.