I believe that the central theme of "The Gryphon" is
unorthodoxy; its positive and negative aspects, and especially its effect on children.
Miss Ferenczi, the mysterious and eccentric substitute teacher who is the focus of the
narrative, is unlike no one the students have ever seen; her hairdo is bizarre, and she
wears tinted glasses and carries a purple purse and a checkered lunchbox. Miss
Ferenczi's unorthodoxy extends far beyond her appearance, howeve. In an educational
system which stresses rote memorization of facts, she teaches through storytelling, and
by relating events from her own experience. Miss Ferenczi challenges the students to
think through and beyond the information they are given in their textbooks, which would
seem to stimulate in them a needed sense of creativity and freedom. The substitute
teacher's methods, however, also expose the students to danger, as she is revealed to be
increasingly unstable, and ends up essentially messing with their minds, telling them
that seven times eleven might be sixty-eight, and predicting the death of one of the
students through the use of tarot cards.
In exploring the
nature of unorthodoxy, especially as it relates to the education of children, the author
poses many questions, to which he does not provide answers. Given that learning through
sheer memorization of facts is not enough, how much freedom is advisable? When does
unorthodoxy cross the line from stimulating creativity to causing absolute and
destructive chaos?
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