Zorba the Greek Lesson Plan

Why does the narrator begin to describe the process of writing his manuscript on the Buddha as a "life-and-death" struggle with a "force of destruction" within him? How does this relate to his earlier desire to reconcile "flesh" and "spirit" within himself?

By invoking this "life-and-death" struggle, the narrator returns to the earlier theme of the opposition between "flesh" and "spirit". However, the meanings of these two principles have changed quite profoundly. It could be said that the narrator now sees the desires of the "flesh" as life-affirming, whereas he views the desires of the spirit as being life-denying. This is because the narrator's spiritual principles...