Three

Summary

• The narrator defends his decision to knowingly plagiarize a book, despite thinking it may initially come off as thievery or racism.
• The narrator argues that they worked hard rewriting the book from early drafts, and therefore it's justified that they claim authorship. He compares it to an artist finishing another artist's incomplete masterpiece.
• He considers his act a unique form of literary collaboration, even though it involved stealing someone else's work.
• The narrator justifies his actions by saying that the original author, Athena, died before she could finish or publish her manuscript, and it might not have been as successful if it was known as an incomplete work.
• He believes his actions could be interpreted as fulfilling Athena's fascination with manipulating perceptions of authorship. Athena had always wondered if her work would be received differently if she were a man or a white woman.
• By taking over Athena's work, the narrator considers he is continuing her legacy and carrying the torch forward.
• He indicates that his actions were not out of guilt or remorse but excitement and a renewed passion for writing. After rewriting Athena's work, he gained confidence in his writing, found fresh ideas and felt motivated once again.
• The narrator draws on a philosophy thesis from a Yale graduate student he dated, which argued that we owe nothing to the dead, to justify his plagiarism.
• Lastly, he admits that taking Athena's manuscript felt like payback for past harms that Athena did to him, framing his actions as a kind of reparations.