Director's Anecdote

" 'I actually dream about it sometimes,' the Director went on in a low voice." (page 97)

The Director tells a story all about his trip to New Mexico with a girl that he was "having" a long time ago. He gets lost in his memory and ends up telling Bernard all about how she went missing, and how he wished so badly to find her. The Director accidentally said too much and made Bernard think that he was emotionally attached to the girl; that, of course, was not allowed in the community. He went on to say that she was nothing special, but I think Bernard realizes that the Director, just like himself, is capable of thinking for himself. I learned that the Alphas are all able to have such thoughts, but they are supposed to conform rather than think for themselves. I find this somewhat ironic, because the verses learned during childhood suggested that Alphas don't have to work nearly as hard as the other castes. However, they have to make a conscious effort to conform until it becomes a learned behavior. The anecdote told by the Director showed that other Alphas besides Bernard did not conform like the rest of the community.