Ishmael and his teachings

Ishmael is a vigorous book; it left me thinking for weeks. At first I thought it was just another book, soon I realized what the cover of the book said was entirely true “From now on I will divide the books I have read into two categories-the ones I read before Ishmael and those read after.” – Jim Britell, Whole Earth Review.
It narrates the story of Ishmael and his student; the twist to this story is that Ishmael is a gorilla. He teaches Alan [his pupil] "how things came to be this way". I always asked myself what was the meaning of Ishmael being a gorilla? Why doesn’t he tell his student all of his ideas up front?
When I first saw this I didn’t make much of it, "WITH MAN GONE, WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR GORILLA?" p.9 but, as I finish I came upon it again but rephrased "WITH GORILLA GONE, WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR MAN?” p.263. At the beginning of the book we think that gorillas are primitive and that mankind is going to save them for extinction; as we advance and get in the story we see that the gorilla [Ishmael] doesn’t depend on mankind but mankind depend on him and his teachings.
As I see it when Daniel Quinn portrait Ishmael as a gorilla it’s to make a point; an animal that we see as primitive takes his student in to the foundations and profoundness of our civilization to show him how human kind is on its last legs with nature. As well his teaching makes his student search for themselves and they comprehend it much better as they frustrate to get the answer; as you read and Ishmael ask these question to his pupil you should ask those questions to yourself.