James Inman and Neil Berkowitz both had provocative responses to my
off-the-cuff suggestion that one can think about CY in terms of
original sin.
  The questions of imperfect knowledge versus intent are pretty interesting.
Many of you will have read Pirsig's Zen and the Art of M-C Maint
(probably years ago, as I did).  What do you make of the differences
between that and the CY?  Remember that Pirsig the motorcycle rider
only gradually becomes aware of his own flawed past--that he is Phaedrus,
former mental patient--as the story unfolds.  Thus, the character is
struggling against his flaws, using knowledge to overcome his imperfections.
Hank is much less aware of his own flaws.  Clearly, they are only possible
because of his past and his special knowledge. Hank thinks he is superior to
other people because of bits of knowledge, and so he runs headlong into
disaster (leading others with him).  I'm not sure there is so much "intent"
to do evil there, but there is something very close--Hank embraces evil
unintentionally.  And that is, perhaps, the concept of original sin, or what
it meant to MT to be part of the damned human race.  In that view, as humans
we're doomed to do the wrong thing, intentionally or otherwise.
  Have a nice day.

Mike Dooris
Penn State