Sophie's World

Alberto Knox is an ambiguous character for the first half of the novel, then he becomes a semi-ambiguous philosophy teacher for Sophie before finally discovering himself to be a character in a story written by Major Albert Knag. Alberto is the deuteragonist of the novel and plays second only to Sophie Amundsen. He is somewhat of an archetypical character, being an older, mysterious man who seems to be filled to the brim with worldly knowledge. Alberto presents himself as a teacher of philosophy, who does not wish to have much contact with the outside world. He does not even allow Sophie to meet him until much later on when he believes it is safe to do so. Alberto is reclusive and mysterious and reveals very little about his own character, origin, or motivations early on. His mysteriousness is exuded further in his employment of metaphors to illustrate philosophical views, such as the rabbit and magician or the search for the “white crow” (465). He has a deep affection for Sophie and believes her to be a symbol of the fire that burns inside each philosopher. Alberto is also eccentric, employing teaching techniques, such as dressing in period clothing while discussing the Middle Ages or the Baroque, deploying firecrackers upon his arrival to Sophie’s party, or leading Sophie through a rabbit hole of clues and riddles before finally revealing himself to her.

Alberto possesses the stereotypical arrogance and prowess of a philosopher and often uses patronizing colloquialisms in his exchanges with Sophie: “I assume you are still with me, Sophie?” (155). He often does not let her speak or believes her to be more naïve than she is. He means well, however, and simply wants to teach her as much as he possibly can. As Sophie gains more knowledge in philosophy, Alberto begins treating her as more of an equal, and the patronizing arrogance present in their initial exchanges evaporates. It is never clear whether Alberto is a religious man. Though he does speak about Jesus in a factual manner, the very same way he recants other philosophers, Alberto also talks about evolution and the Big Bang. Alberto does hint, however, that these ideas do not necessarily have to conflict with one another. In fact, in citing Hegel, Alberto states, “[T]he basis of human cognition changes from one generation to the next” (358). This implies that truth too is subjective, and changes throughout history as the primal substance becomes increasingly aware of itself.

Major Albert Knag is a UN official, story writer, and the father of Hilde. For the majority of the novel, the major is a godlike figure who influences the choices and experiences of Sophie and Alberto. He largely serves as an antagonist in this sense because he constantly plays tricks and displays his power over them using increasingly absurd tactics. The major’s choice to write a philosophy book for his daughter with self-aware characters is an illustration of his pedantic nature. Alberto Knox is very similar to the major in that they both have a certain arrogance and desire to show off what they know. The major wants to “be in charge of his own life” (485), and he is also in charge of Sophie’s and Alberto’s life until they escape. Albert sees himself as a proud man of the world, working to unite everyone under one umbrella. By the same token, he has a specific view of how he wants his daughter to be and the knowledge he wants her to have. He is shown in the final moments of the novel to be a loving, caring father. He spends the last minutes of his first night home sitting under the stars with Hilde telling her all about how “all stars and all planets belong to the same family” (506). Ultimately, the major believes in the unity of all things and actively attempts to make it so.

Albert himself does not change throughout the novel, but the main character’s perceptions of him shift drastically. Sophie and Alberto have developing suspicions that they are under the control of some higher force, but it is not until much later that they realize they are characters in a story. Until then, Albert was nothing more than a distant and semi-disturbing letter in the mailbox. Upon this realization, Albert becomes “a kind of God” (301) to Sophie and Alberto. Thanks to the philosophical knowledge the major so pedantically inserted into them, Sophie and Alberto are able to escape from the major’s creation. 

Hilde is the daughter of Major Albert Knag, the reader of the story Albert wrote, and the parallel to Sophie and her world. In the beginning, Hilde is nothing more than a name on a postcard Sophie receives in the mail. The postcard is addressed to Hilde in care of Sophie, and this is the first moment Sophie directly interacts with the writer of her own story. Sophie notices a striking similarity between her and Hilde right away: Both she and Hilde are to turn 15 on the same day. A few days later, Sophie has a dream about a girl on a dock who awaits her father’s return. Sophie tries to speak to her, but the girl does not hear or see her except for a very slight feeling that something was there. The major appears, and the girl runs to him with glee. This dream turns out to be exactly what happens several weeks later when the major does return to Hilde and Sophie is outside the major’s mind. She attempts to talk to Hilde, but Hilde does not notice her.

As weeks pass and correspondence with Albert continues, the major begins inserting messages about Hilde into the story more and more. Postcards, signs, fairy-tale characters, and even inside a banana peel, all appear at different times to wish Hilde a happy birthday. Alberto begins calling Sophie Hilde by mistake, and it becomes clear the two girls are connected somehow. Sophie starts finding items that belong to Hilde, such as a red scarf, a coin, and a crucifix, and she becomes increasingly frustrated with each item she finds. Having no idea who Hilde is or why Hilde’s world keeps intersecting with her own, Sophie becomes resentful of this distant and unknown figure who seems to hold great influence over her life.

On the morning of Hilde’s and Sophie’s 15th birthday, Hilde is finally introduced as a true character rather than just a distant figure. She awakens to find a birthday present waiting for her. It is a present her father has been hinting at through the mail for weeks. Inside is a ringed binder with hundreds of pages, all making up the components of a story called Sophie’s World. Hilde is in awe and continues feeling that way as she reads this philosophical guide her father has written for her. As she reads, however, she begins to notice a feeling that Sophie and Alberto are not happy in this story. They seem to keep discussing matters of free will, oppression, and the oneness of thought and matter. Hilde believes they deserve better than the basic trickery her father keeps putting them through, and she decides to play a similar trick on her own father. As the major comes home on connected flights from Lebanon, he makes a stop in Copenhagen. There, Hilde arranges for notes to be posted everywhere that guide him as if he were the puppet in a story. The major knew it was her all along, but it was a sly trick nevertheless. When her father does arrive home, Hilde is sitting on the dock. Sophie is there too and attempts to communicate with her, but Hilde does not notice. Hilde “jumped up and ran toward her father” (496) and the dream that was foreshadowed in Sophie’s sleep weeks before comes true. The final chapter of the novel sees Hilde and her father stargazing while discussing the Big Bang and the primal substance that makes up all things. Hilde asks her father all kinds of questions, showing that she has the curious philosophical mind he embodied in his writing through Sophie: “Will all the galaxies be drawn together in a tight nucleus again? […] Where did it come from, all that stuff that suddenly exploded?” (502). The key difference between Hilde and Sophie is that, as Sophie realizes, Hilde “had been created a real person of flesh and blood” (496).

Sophie’s mother, Helene, is a static character who reappears throughout the story as a voice of reason and concern. She works long hours, and when she is home she spends much of her time watching television or sleeping. However, Helene is a loving mother, who cares deeply about her daughter. She fixes her big meals, such as breakfasts of “hot rolls, orange juice, eggs, and vegetable salad” (188) and tries her best to be present when she has the energy and time. Although her absence allows Sophie to get away with a great deal, she pays attention to her daughter’s habits and the relationships she has. Helene regularly checks in, making sure that this philosopher man is someone she can trust around her precious daughter. Sophie hides her correspondence with Alberto from her mother at first but soon becomes overwhelmed and tells her mother almost everything. From then on, her mother is supportive and even invites Alberto to Sophie’s birthday party. There, the two talk and Helene decides that Sophie is better off with Alberto, wherever it is he is taking her. It is revealed that Alberto has a plan to take himself and Sophie out of the story the major created, and Sophie’s mother gives him her blessing to do this. Sophie is distraught to be leaving the only family she knows, but her mother assures her that “it does not matter, child. This was no life for you. If Alberto can give you a better one, nobody will be happier than I” (478). Helene’s love for her daughter is unconditional. Although she is only a character in a story written by the major, this in a way immortalizes her, and Alberto assures Sophie that she can revisit this story, and thus her mother, whenever she likes.