The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- Muriel Barbery

This year has started off with pleasurable reading; well, two out of three anyway: “Thirteenth Tale” and “Elegant Hedgehog.” “Silver Linings” was a bust.
Easy to see why this Hedgehog book was so popular in Europe. Intelligence is admired and an academic doctorate is revered. The gift of a sharp mind is accommodated in the educational system by testing and placements at the 7th grade and then 10th grade levels. England has Oxford and Cambridge. Education of the masses is not considered to be of any particular value other than keeping the kids busy and out of trouble until they’re 21. Of course many of the places at Oxbridge are family heritage positions, like it was for George Bush at Yale. So, therein lays the basis for the plotline of this book. Class distinction (land, power, money) creates dichotomies that roll over into the educational system and one’s place in society. America used to think itself as egalitarian with equal opportunity for all (all having been expanded slowly to include women and people of colour.) Alas, the pendulum has swung the other way since the eighties. The masses are being deliberately dumbed-down and access to the “power” universities is limited to families with power and/or money.
Whew. OK, there were plenty of socio-politico touchstones in this book, not the least of which was gender politics and ageism.
The book is inspiring, of course – moderately well-educated people throughout the world should aspire to half the intellectual curiosity and patiently rewarding acquisition of knowledge that Renée Michel has achieved. One would hope that this book is a beacon of hope for those with intellectual curiosity to work at trying to reap the rewards of constant learning.
The author’s choice of concierge and her mirrored younger self (unconceived daughter) were well-chosen. Who amongst us, at least in this country, has not found themselves dumbing down to maintain social equilibrium? Even if, nay especially if, one is gifted with intellectual curiosity, and fills the resultant void with knowledge, without the authenticating calling card of power and money, there has to be a hesitancy to admit, a lingering questioning of one’s confidence, before voicing an intellectual opinion. Now we don’t have concierges here in the States – the Brits have a “porter” at colleges which might stretch across to posh residences.
All the other characters were well cast, but fit because of the choice of Renée Michel. She was so accepting, broad-minded, and naively shy. Who could not want to adopt her, want her to find love at fifty, and to find acknowledgement by the world as a serious person. As universal as the story is, the treatment by Ms Barbery is uniquely compelling. It is timeless in its lack of modern gadgetry, even though often referred to. The attraction of this story is its characters, who are universal: this could be a Roman tale.
There is the warning at the end, enjoy the fruits of the garden, but don’t try to cross the line by eating the apple, or you’ll be hit by a laundry truck and die.