Lila: an inquiry into morals

Phdrus a character familiar to readers of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is sailing down the Hudson River when he meets Lila Blewitt, an unapologetically sexual, psychologically unstable woman whom a mutual friend warns him against. But Phdrus is drawn to her physically, and interested in her intellectually, finding her a culture of one in whom he discerns an unexpected Quality. Sailing with him to Manhattan, where her mental state deteriorates further, Lila prompts Phdrus to explore conflicts of values, such as those between Native Americans and Europeans, or between the insane and the normal.