The Stranger

The Stranger by Albert Camus, is a story fallowing Meursault, an indifferent young man who begins the story with his Mothers death. His mom lived in an assisted living home however Meursault felt nothing at his moms death, and showed no emotion which everyone who attended noticed. He later goes on a date the next day and through seeing his daily life you see that he is a normal guy except for the lack of emotion and care. Later on Meursault is at the beach and kills a man. Then he goes to jail to await a trial. At the trial, the case is handled much less like a court case should, but rather is about Meursault character. The court asked him question about his Mother and ended on the decision that he is a monster due to his lack of emotion and give him the death sentence. My big question is about fate or free will and which one existed in the novel. 

I believe that in the novel their is free will. I think the book as a whole would have been pointless if it was fate. As the book was about humans and their interactions with each other, if their was no free will and was instead fate their actions would be completely meaningless. Furthermore Meursault lives only through himself, never doing anything that is not in his character to do.     

The Portrait of an Artists as a Young Man

The portrait of an artist as a young man by James Joyce is the story of a young man, Stephan, as he grows up. Most of the book is internal and is told to the reader through stream of conscious. Due to the uniqueness my big question of sheathed the characters in the book have free will or if they are controlled by a greater force. The book being told solely through Stephan's thoughts adds a deeper level to this question. Unlike books that focus on external action and need a set of (convenient) events to progress, the reader was allowed to see each step Stephan took to grow. It is due to this personal and intimate connection between reader and Stephan that the book progresses purely through free will. I never felt as though the events were conveniently created for progressing the story.  Stephan progresses the story solely through his thought epiphanies which are seen by the reader due to Joyce's use of stream of consciousness.  Overall I believe that having the main character have free will instead of controlling the story with fate adds more to the story

The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison fallows the story of a unseen narrator, who is "invisible" not from affliction as he says but because people refuse to see him. Through the story he goes through outrages events, gives speeches, and learns the power in being invisible. My big question is asking whether their was free will and action or if the narrator was forced through fate and destiny to travel the path he traveled. I went back and forth on this big question for this book. The path was to paved, it appeared to be set before him. As if the scenery never existed until he turned the corner and it suddenly jumped up so he wouldn't see the empty nothingness before him. This is why I believe it was fate at first, the things happened because they were destined to happen, the point I struggled with was his growth. The invisible narrator did not grow in the normal step stair pattern often used with fate based stories. Instead of learning one lesson and now gaining that trait never to be lost. It felt much more humane, that he like all of us forget valuable lessons from time to time or in the heat of the moment. Overall I have landed on the thought that it was destiny, the events were to fantastical and everything just happened to propel him to the next stage.

Henry IV, Part 1

So, when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised,
By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falsify men's hopes;
And, like bright metal on a sullen ground,
My reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
Shall show more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than that which hath no foil to set it off.

Prince Hal

In this soliloquy by Prince Hal their is an answer to my big question. Hal addresses his future with a clear plan. He speaks to his old self and explains the transformation that will occur explaining he will first appear as though he is a no good fool. Someone who hangs out at taverns, but soon their will be a transformation and he will become kingly. The transformation made all the greater by his previous form. It makes me think of a butterfly which is beautiful and majestic is made all the more stunning due to it first being a gross caterpillar. My big question focuses on fate vs. free will, on of the reasons I liked this play was because Hal makes his own decisions and actions. In the soliloquy Hal presents a plan for the future meaning he is taking control and leaving nothing to fate. A action the reader can respect. Overall the outcome of the story is due to the characters actions and not due to an outside force.     

A Clockwork Orange

While my big question focuses on if their is free will or if people are dictated by fate, A Clockwork Orange answers the question on if fate is good. “Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses to be bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?" This quote helps to summarize the main idea. If their is a fate our actions are predetermined, we no longer choose to be good but instead merely act according to our fate, taking away the choice and thus the goodness behind the action. This quote is said by a  prison worker to Alex before he gets the new treatment. He is trying to explain to Alex that even if the treatment works and he is good its not truly good.

"Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.” is another great quote about fate concisely showing without choice we no longer are human but rather simulations or puppets acting out an already determined play. Due to this theme taken by the book about the negatives of faith, A Clockwork Orange is saying peoples actions and repercussions are all their own. Even though the third part of A Clockwork Orange mirrors the first and now the people he victimized are  making him the victim in a seeming fated experience it was only through a string of choices that he made.

Wuthering Heights

With this particular story I am torn between the two options; are the characters free to do what they want or are they governed by something bigger. I am stuck between these two options because of the evidence on both sides. First let us discuss the freedom of the characters to chose.  In the story each character can chose how and what they react to. For example it was Isabella's choice to love Heathcliff, as it was with Catherine. Heathcliff chose to never move on and becomes consumed by the misguided thought of revenge. Throughout the book the characters exercise free will making it appear that the answer to my big question is obvious. However it is the elements the characters can not control that one could argue shows fate was involved. For example, characters throughout the story would be stopped by the weather, allowing for the plot to continue. Furthermore sickness is constantly changing how the story plays out. Imagine if Lockwood never became sick and Nelly never told us her story, or if Catherine never stayed at Thrushcross Grange. The story would have been completely different. It is due to the duel nature of this story that I am at a loss for an answer. So I leave it to you to decide, do you think the characters where mere playthings for an already known story or that the story is purely do to their own actions and thoughts?     

Relating to Oedipus

 Oedipus is a great book to discuss whether or not fate is real. Was Oedipus destined to kill his father, take over the kingdom, and sleep with his mom? or was it due to bizarre and unfortunate events? I am of the believer that in the story of Oedipus he did not have a predetermined life, but in actuality exercised free will. In my mind the prophet is to blame, if he said nothing then Oedipus would have lived with his parents and hopefully would have not done those terrible things, at worst he might have killed his father. 
"TEIRESIAS
Well, it will come what will, though I be mute.
OEDIPUS
Since come it must, thy duty is to tell me."
 This quote highlights the fact that what will come is destined to come. So all in all I think the prophet created a self fulfilling prophesy in the sense that without him Oedipus would have known his family and that marrying your mom is kind of messed up.