The Villain in Sophie's World

        The Villain in the novel Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder is the father of Hilde who is the author of a book about philosophy. Hilde is the girl who is reading the book about Sophie in her world. Sophie's world is really just the made up story from Hilde’s fathers mind. In the story, Sophie and her teacher Alberto realize they do not exist and are only part of Hilde’s fathers imagination. In the story, Hilde’s father controls everything about Sophie and Alberto. He makes a sea monster swim around them and he makes them see fairy tale characters appear in their town. Sophie and Alberto suspect that he is controlling them somehow and vow to escape his authority. Sophie and Alberto create an image of Hilde’s father for the reader as an evil dictator who controls them as puppets and finds ways to be in every part of their lives.

        Reality is a hard concept in this book because it keeps changing. First, the reader is made to think that Sophie is living in present day Norway in reality in the same sense that the reader is living in reality. After Hilde is introduced as the new subject of the story, the reader realizes that Hilde is living in reality and Sophie is living in a book. When we think that Sophie is reality, the major is seen as evil but, when we see that Hilde is actually the real one, we see the major in a much different light. In Hilde’s reality, her father is just creatively teaching her something new for her birthday. Reality in this book is purposely made confusing to make people think philosophically. The author could have meant for the reader to see Hilde reading the story of Sophie and think of Hilde:Sophie :: Reader:Hilde. This reinforces a major topic of philosophy discussed in the beginning of the book - that philosophers know nothing and that reality may not really be what we think reality is.