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Destiny and Free Will: The Wicked Day of Chance
Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. — Lord Alfred Tennyson, “Ulysses” Fate’s threads entangle all in an infinite web, unbeknownst to the players of the tragedy. What happens when a character is aware of his fate and acts towards preventing it? Can destiny, with all its predetermined points in time, be altered? Mary Stewart’s The Wicked Day (2003) tells the story of Mordred, as he struggles to fight against the prophecy of King Arthur’s death by his hands. Mordred’s life begins and ends with Arthur. Oblivious to their family connection,…
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What’s in a Name? The Importance of Being Earnestly Yourself
The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s witty play centering around Jack Worthing and the consequences of having a false identity (named Ernest) to escape social obligations and limitations. As Jack explains to his friend Algernon Montieff, his name is “Ernest in town and Jack in the country” (5). Algernon learns of this deception by an inscription on Jack’s cigarette case, addressed to him by his real name, and is shocked by his confession, responding that Jack looks “as if [his] name was Ernest” and that “[he is] the most earnest looking person he ever saw in [his] life” (5). Jack’s situation turns into a complicated affair when his…
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Childhood Trauma and the Search for Closure
Guilt, sadness, resentment. Trauma. In childhood, we experience the world as creatures of intensity. Our memories remain clear yet marred, the pain of trauma cutting through all senses in recollection, even as we become adults. Madeleine Thien’s novel, Simple Recipes, recounts the fictional stories of individuals from different backgrounds and locations as they look into their childhoods and relationships in their search for closure. Set in Vancouver, Thien weaves a realistic portrayal of innocence and trust, as well as guilt and sadness, in her characters’ recollection of their traumatic experiences as children. The stories in the book range from childhood disciplinary violence, abandonment to sexual assault and alienation within the…
