Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Essay on "Illusions"

Essay on Illusions by Richard Bach

Illusions by Richard Bach is about one mans journey on the path to becoming more connected with all that he can do. It focuses on two main characters Richard (the writer) and Donald Shimoda. The main point in the story is that everything in life, even life it self is an illusion so people can do amazing things if they put their minds to it. The most important point made in the bock is from when Donald says, “Ok, I'm the son of God, so are we all; I'm the savior, but so are you.”

The story begins with Richard flying a bi-plane somewhere near Ferris, Illinois. Well that's not the very beginning. In the very beginning there is a piece on a person who became a savior. The story begins that there once was a savior from the Holy Land of Indiana. The basic plot of this part of the story is that a man chooses to be a messiah and then tells the God one-day that he would no longer like to be and quits.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on "Illusions"
for You!


We then open up with Richard flying his air plane over a field in Ferris, Illinois and spot another plane. Curious about what another plane was doing all the way out here he decides to enquire and lands his plane next to it. The owner of the plane is leaning near the back wheel of the plane.

What Richard notices, as weird about the plane is that it looks brand-new, no oil spots, and no bugs at all. He says it looks as if it had just appeared at that moment. The story goes on to explain that the owner of the other plane is Donald Shimoda. It is revealed in a dream that Donald is the messiah that quit that is spoken of in the beginning of the book. From there Donald does some pretty amazing things and Richard cannot understand why or how.

The first miracle he did was getting a little girl who was deafly afraid of heights to go for a ride in his airplane; they were selling airplane rides. The amazing part that kind of typed me off to the fact that Donald was no ordinary man was that he got the girl to fly by explaining to her that in another life she died from an incident involving heights and that's why she was afraid then.

He also never needed to put gas in his tank, clean his plane or tighten any loose bolt, as Richard described it these things seem to have taken care of themselves. Throughout the story, like I said be fore he does some pretty miraculous things like for instance he walked on water and swam in land. Richard was also able to do this but not until he had seen Donald do it first. I think this is another important key or idea in the book. We can only do things that we believe and we only believe things that we have either seen or that has been proven true. And until we see that, for instance someone can walk through a wall or indisputable evidence is given saying that a man can fly we will not be able to do it. In Richard's case however he has someone doing these thing right in front of him or her and with second guessing them and just believing he was able to do them also. This can be put in retrospect with the time Donald walks though a wall and Donald attempts to but before he does he says that walking through walls is impossible and because of this he is unable to.

Donald also had a unique way of explaining himself. For instance with the walking through the wall thing he agreed that it is in fact impossible to walk through walls but everything is an illusion. Richard was not able to put it together at the time but I did. If you can believe without the shadow of a doubt that everything is an illusion then a wall is not a wall and a desk is not a desk and a tree is not a tree. But all these things and all others are illusions or projections with no mass or matter to them and if this is true then passing through them is the same as walking through air, you just do it.

In another spot in the story Donald makes that statement that we do only what we want in life and Richard tried to correct him by saying we do whatever we want to do in life as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Donald convinced him other wise by creating a “Vompire” that asked Richard for a little blood so that it could live. Of course Richard declined proving Donald's point that we do whatever we want, regardless of whether someone else will be hurt or not.

He does many other things that he is able to explain throughout the rest of the story. In the end of the story Donald is shot by a man with a shot gun in his plane. Richard not knowing what else to do begins to run away but thinks about it and turns around. In talking to Donald before he “dies” he asks him if this had to happen and Donald replied that it didn't but he likes the drama of it and dies. He then visits Richard in a dream that is in some ways real. He explains the Richard that he has not died that was just his way of exiting one diminsion permenatly and opting to leave in another exclusively.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get Custom Essay on Illusions
ATTENTION!!! HotEssays.blogspot.com provides free sample essays and essay examples on any topics and subjects. EssayLib.com essay writing service produces 100% custom essays, term papers & research papers, written by quality essay writers only. The prices start from $10 per page. You can order a custom essay on "Illusions" now!