Book Report: Zorba the Greek 
Zorba the Greek is a novel written by Nikos a!ant!akis told in 1st person by the narrator"
who stays na#eless" and his travels with a #an he #eets na#ed $le%is Zorba& 'he narrator (inds
Zorba while at a bar re#inis)in* abo+t his (riend who has le(t (or war" and lon*in* (or an
e%perien)ed li(e like his solider (riend" as he is only a s)holar and wants the live li(e like the
,)o##on #an-& 'hey both board a ship to travel to .rete and soon Zorba asks the narrator to
#ana*e his #inin* operation" the narrator a*rees be)a+se he wants #ore advent+re in his li(e&
oon the two #an travel the )o+ntry and #eet a wo#an )alled Mada#e 0ortense" who lets the#
live with her& oon a(ter Zorba *ets in a ro#anti) relationship with the wo#an and the narrator
starts to lead Zorbas #inin* endeavor& 'hro+*h Zorbas and the narrators travels Zorba
2+estions the narrators belie(s" not patroni!in*ly tho+*h" b+t a)t+ally askin* hi# 2+estions" s+)h
as not to )all the villa*ers reli*ion (alse or i#pre)ise +nless he )an *ive the# a better
e%planation o( the world& 'hro+*ho+t the story sit+ations like these arise and the narrator takes in
Zorbas philosophi!in* to have di((erent o+t looks on h+#anity as a whole" o( )o+rse #any o(
these sit+ations are #isadvent+res" dealin* with si)kness" trea)hery" reli*ion" and death& B+t
thanks to Zorbas tea)hin*s the narrator *ets over these iss+es" and )on2+ers so#e o( his own
de#ons as well& vent+ally they r+n o+t o( #oney (or these e%peditions and the loved ones they
had in the villa*e are dead so they head their separate ways" and the narrator heads (or the
 
'his novel is #ainly abo+t #any philosophi)al val+es abo+t li(e itsel(& 'his is shown
thro+*h the narrators )hara)ter develop#ent thro+*h the story& $t (irst he looks to his books (or
happiness" to the point where even his solider (riend pokes (+n at hi# (or it" tellin* hi# to *et o+t
#ore& n (a)t initially while the narrator and Zorba are travelin*" the narrator )ant see# to have
as #+)h (+n as Zorba is havin*& 0e sees thin*s thro+*h the view o( books he read and his
B+ddhist tea)hin*s" so he (eels asha#ed& B+t d+e to so#e wise words (ro# Zorba he breaks his
habit: 5 'he hi*hest point a #an )an attain is not nowled*e" or 6irt+e" or Goodness" or 6i)tory"
 b+t so#ethin* *reater" #ore heroi) and #ore despairin*: a)red $we75 Zorba *oes on to say that
the narrator )an a)hieve this thro+*h his spirit+alis# with *od" b+t he 8+st doesnt see# very
*ood at it" and that i( its not #akin* hi# happy then its 8+st not *oin* to work o+t& $ltho+*h the
narrator takes Zorbas words to heart he still )lin*s on to his tea)hin*s and )ant *et hi#sel( in
this ,the world o( #en-" and only thro+*h the trials and trib+lations o( love and death )an the
narrator tr+ly do this&
$ll in all thoro+*hly en8oyed this book9 as it *ives +s 2+ite a (ew li(e lessons on how
en8oy li(e better and to its (+llest& Many o( whi)h will never (or*et and will try to i#ple#ent in
#y own li(e" and while one or two lessons are a little o+tdated when taken literally" #any o(
the# still )an apply to o+r personal lives and ar*+ably #ake the# better and #ore (+l(illin*&
eep philosophi)al iss+es aside" the book itsel( is rather en8oyable" its always (+nny to
read Zorbas witty and )+nnin* re#arks despite the (a)t that hes a ;< year old #an" and how the
yo+n* narrator is the #ore )a+tio+s o( the two& =hile also bein* (+nny the book has so#e
tra*edy to it too" and #any )hara)ters die and their deaths are (airly *r+eso#e& $ll in all Zorba
the Greek was a *reat book that d re)o##end to so#e people" b+t have to say" one o( #y