A/N: Oblio learned a lesson in the 1971 animated movie "The Point". Did the son who was read the story learn anything? Think of Ringo Starr doing the father's voice; his was the narrator in the audio dub that I remember, although I understand there were three others.
Pointed Discussion
"Good morning, Son!" the father said from his chair at the kitchen table. It was a Saturday, so he didn't have to drive to work today - his wife already had plenty of work scheduled for him around the house. He spooned another mound of breakfast cereal into this mouth and crunched his meal in relaxed bliss. He wouldn't have to go outside and mow the lawn until he was finished with breakfast, so he chewed very slowly while occasionally taking a sip of his coffee - the outside wasn't going anywhere.
"Morning, Dad." The new arrival to the kitchen grabbed a stool and retrieved a bowl from the cabinet, then a spoon from the drawer and joined his father at the table.
"Did you sleep well even though you missed your program?" The previous night the father had insisted on reading a story to his son while he had wanted to watch television. Reluctant at first, the boy had come to enjoy the experience by the end of the story, the title of which was The Point.
"I sure did," he said as he poured cereal into his bowl. He tipped the milk carton to pour the milk and got most of it into the bowl; he quickly wiped up the rest with his shirt sleeve before his father noticed. "In fact, I even dreamed about it last night."
"That's the wonderful thing about stories - they get your brain working. Sure, programs on TV are okay sometimes but they do all the thinking for you because you can see and hear everything. With books, you have to do all the work in your head. Maybe you can even do a better job in your head than they do on television."
"I'll say, Dad. My brain worked so hard last night that I'm extra hungry this morning." The boy attempted to prove the point by pouring an extra portion into his bowl without completely finishing the first round.
"Whoa there, Son. Save some for tomorrow, okay?"
"Ah Dad, there's another box on top of the refrigerator."
"Yeah, but that one has raisins in it." Father and son both stuck out their tongues in exaggerated disgust. "Since your brain worked on the story, did it come up with the point of The Point?" He chucked softly as his cleverness while the son ignored it.
"I did. Oblio came to the conclusion that no matter if something had a point that you could see, like his head or the top of a tree, or it didn't - like that big egg - everything had a point on the inside. and that's why we're all here."
"That's exactly right; even though..."
"But I think the author was trying to say something else," the son interrupted.
"Something else? Are we talking about the same story?"
"Sure; it's the only one you read to me last night."
"This I have to hear," the father said as he finished drinking up the milk directly from his bowl; it was considered rude if you were in a restaurant or somebody else's house, but at home it was okay as long as his wife wasn't there.
"I think the person who wrote the book was trying to tell people that everything is pointless."
"POINTLESS?" the father sputtered, spewing a little coffee. He used his sleeve to wipe up the drops before his wife came in and noticed. "How can you say that?"
"Ah, Dad - it's easy. Oblio starts off by playing that triangle game, and even though he wins the game he loses because the Count's son gets him in trouble. And the count's son loses, but wins because his father helps exile Oblio from the city. Playing games sounds pretty pointless to me."
"It only sounds like that..."
"And then Oblio and Arrow go to the Pointless Forest, but the trees all had points on them. Names are pointless..."
"Don't say that son; your mother...whats-her-name...and I named you after somebody."
"When they kept running into the Pointed Man, he always answered questions with more questions or riddles. Asking questions is pointless because you probably won't find out anything and you're just left with more questions."
"Not exactly..."
"The giant bees showed that there's no point in trying anything on your own because a group can push you around or down the hill just because they're stronger."
"I hadn't thought of that."
"Then there was the Rock Man who was so stoned that all he could do was sit around and talk until he fell asleep."
"Where did you learn that word?"
"From an afternoon special on TV. It's pretty obvious when he said 'you see what you want to see', which must have meant hallucinations. Then there was the big hole."
"What's wrong with a big hole?"
"Nothing, because a hole is nothing and there's nothing more pointless than nothing."
The father stroked his chin. "Rather circular reasoning, but I kind of like the sound of that. Go on."
"And don't even get me started on the three fat ladies. Their dietary habits are bound to give them early health problems, but a strict diet and exercise regimen would take all the joy out of their lives. That sounds pointless either way."
"I never did understand them."
"That tree that talked about manufacturing leaves said timing was everything, but did he have a watch or a calendar? And he probably was going to end up being made into a coffee table anyway."
"Raking leaves can be fun - for a few minutes, anyway."
"There was the baby bird that asked questions. Even when Oblio was answering them, the momma bird came and took the baby away. What good is asking a question when they won't let you hear the answers?"
"That's because..."
"To finish it off, Oblio gets back to the city but the Count is still angry at him, the King still gives in to whatever the popular opinion is, and when everyone else's head becomes round Oblio has a pointed one. He's STILL the weird one."
"But it was just a story, Son."
"Yeah, but don't you see, Dad? It's supposed to say something about real life. Things are pointless."
"Like what?"
"The appendix."
"It's not exactly..."
"You live perfectly fine without it."
"What kind of programs are you watching on TV anyway?"
"The kind that advertise diet water. What is THAT for?"
"It would...ah...be pointless, I guess."
"Exactly. They make umbrellas for shoes, special carts to take your goldfish for a walk, and they even sell rocks in the store as pets."
The father thought about the Pet Rock he had in his closet that he was going to give his son for Christmas. Maybe he could just set it free back into the wild. "Who would buy such a silly thing?"
"What's the point of putting an empty milk carton back in the refrigerator? Why do people do it?"
"The garbage can was full" the father said as he took their bowls and put them in the sink. Making sure there was some milk left in the carton this time, he put that back in the refrigerator, along with the cereal box on top.
"And why do you cut the grass? It's only going to grow back faster."
The father looked out the window at the front yard and the grass. He then looked at the blue sky, the leaves blowing gently in the breeze, and the laughing boys that rode by on their bicycles. He looked again at the grass - it really didn't look that tall. "Say, Son, they may not have a point but how about you and I go out and get ourselves a donut or two right now?"
"That sounds pointless - but tasty" the boy said, rushing to get his shoes.
The End
A/N: Okay okay, I remember the song "Me and My Arrow" more than anything else from this movie but watching it again recently I was thinking about the "point" that Oblio pointed out. Thinking about it another way, there was a different interpretation if you just tilted the point of view enough and THAT is what struck me as an idea for a story. If everything not only has a point but also is pointless, that's a point too - isn't it?