Clarity In The Pedestrian, And Lord Of The

There are many ways that people can isolate themselves. Isolation is not always something brought upon one’s self. Isolation can be optional, or a person may have no option in isolation. Stevie Smith, Nathaniel Hawthorne and E.A Robinson show, develop, and illustrate the theme of isolation in their short story and poems.

The short story The Pedestrian is an intriguing story that takes place in the future. This story suggests that if the world continues the progress that it is now then we will become no more than humans who are doing nothing with our lives. It shows how people would seclude themselves from others and begin to stop caring for others. Is this actually a possibility in the future?

Every individual is the center of attention in their own life. They see their surroundings from their own perspective and, generally speaking, care about their own needs above anyone else’s. It is the main character’s thoughts and surroundings that push and pull them in different directions in order for them to make a decision. For this reason, I believe the subject of divisions, conflicts, and multiple forces within the self is a perfect topic for the stories and poems I will discuss in the next couple paragraphs.

When looking back at older works of literature, a person can always draw parallels between the lessons found written during that time period and the current time period. This is due to the fact that these themes are easily applicable on an individual level no matter what the current society is like. Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” is no exception with its lessons primarily focusing on isolation, the desire to avoid confrontation, and compassion. Through closer examination of these three themes, it becomes obvious to the reader just how necessary these ideals are in today’s society.

Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Pedestrian” is a dramatic illustration of the dangers of living in a world where contact with nature is deemed so abnormal that even walking alone at night is a crime. The dystopian story revolves around the tale of a man named Leonard Mead, living during a time period not so far away from our own, in 2053 CE. In the story, a robotic police car is so suspicious of Mead’s walking behavior during one pleasant night that he is taken away to a psychiatric hospital.

In short, Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby, the scrivener”, tells the tale of a successful lawyer hiring a new copyist and the challenges he faced with his new hire. Initially, the new hire, Bartleby, was extremely driven and very efficient. He had a great work ethic, and had an extraordinary output of writing for the head lawyer. On the third day Bartleby stunned his boss by preferring not to comply with his boss’s request. Bartleby’s refusal to comply was at first directed at anything outside of his copyist responsibilities, but gradually shifted toward refusing to do anything including his responsibilities as a copyist. Upon further analysis into Bartleby’s descent from a productive scrivener, to utterly useless in the office. I have found a connection between the people that isolate others because of differences, and the people that choose to stray away from “normal behavior”. This impacts the isolated person, people are negatively impacted when they live in isolation and have little personal and emotional connection with others. Without any emotional connection or contact with others, humans lose their purpose in life, or become useless like in Bartleby in the office.

William Deresiewicz expresses his opinion on decision making through a speech given to inspire potentially great leaders. He declares how mediocre leaders rise to the top by jumping through the many loopholes provided, while always wanting to being considered “excellent sheep” (2). The great leaders on the other hand, strive to be “thinkers” and sometimes never achieve their full potential because they evolve with intrinsic versus extrinsic goals. People in power are not choosing those who should follow in their footsteps based on what they believe, but based on qualities they have been taught to look for. This process is suffocating the potential in anyone progressing in ways seen as unfit or different, and simultaneously crushing the idea

Individuality. Individuality is what makes each person unique and separates each singularity from the billions of others who occupy this world. A person’s individuality gives introspect as to who they are and what they stand for to those who look upon them from the outside. It is through a person’s individuality, constructed by the morals, experiences, preferences, and knowledge they have gained, that they derive their own meaning to life. In The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, Camus explores differences in individuality and provides a link between the idea of individuality and the concept of absurdism through his characters. Individuality reflects the absurdity of the world for life has no inherent meaning but the one a person gives to it which is derived from their individuality.

There are few arguments that have been discussed by as many thinkers throughout time as the importance and power of individuality. However, this concept, which is cherished by modern thought, has not nearly been as prized in the past. This historical standpoint is depicted in many literary works, two of which are Hell Screen by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Diary of a Madman by Lu Xun. These two short stories fully express different outlooks on individuality within a historical context, while still showcasing the power of being an individual. By understanding both texts, the reader can benefit from a far more complete understanding of their own individuality, and the vast significance and responsibility it bears.

People will attempt to escape from society’s dystopian ideologies by breaking the rules. “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude . . . ” (Emerson 29-31). Emerson explains how a man who retains his ponderings to himself is a lot stronger than one who

More than half a century later, Carson McCullers’ themes of loneliness and isolation still speak to today’s readers. The work “Reflections In a Golden Eye”of Carson McCullers drew a lot of criticism, but was anything but unsuccessful. Carson McCullers’ problems with her health and family brought upon manors of writing, she expressed her loneliness and isolation, showing issues relating to bisexuality, infidelity, hostility, and murder. Lastly she made a large impact in the readers and other writers that became familiar with her work. By exploring the depths of Carson McCullers’ work, one can come to realization that it made such an impact in its own unique way.

“Where other people exist genuine individuality is never possible.” To what extent does this statement reflect the experiences of the central characters and problems encountered by them in at least two works of prose fiction you have read?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Self-Reliance”, a piece that comments on what people should focus on in their lives, and becoming self-reliant. Self-reliance is the idea of doing things for yourself, focusing on yourself rather than what you’re doing for societal reasons. This is an interesting way to look at one’s self identity. When looking at life through a self–reliant individualist view, one can find different perspectives or take a ways from different literary pieces or when analyzing an individual’s actions or motivations. When looking at, “Rip Van Winkle”, “William Wilson”, “Ministers Black Veil” and “Wakefield” we can gather a different take away when looking at how the main characters go through different identity crises and how it correlated to self-reliant individualism, in the ways it all affected the main character and others in the stories.

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” That quote remarked by Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland poses a question many people may ask themselves in their lifetime; who am I? It’s a perplexing question that individuals may have a degree of difficulty answering, and a few may never be capable of answering it. We’ve been conditioned to depend on society to define ourselves and we try to conform societal standards, fretful of breaking free and become agents of change. The five protagonists from Oedipus the King, Medea, The Doll’s House, Hamlet, and She Stoops to Conquers all face a similar question to ask themselves - should they abide by the standards of their society or should they follow their conscience and define themselves differently in conflict with the traditions in society? They (Oedipus, Medea, Nora Helmer, Hamlet, and Charles Maslow) all broke free from what society deemed appropriate and took first step in the process of self-discovery.

Michel de Montaigne is the author the book On Solitude. In this book Montaigne brings up many topics and discusses his views on them and what these nouns do to men in the world. Some of these topics are solitude, as stated in the title, sadness, fear, books, as well as a few others. In these topics Montaigne elaborates on how these objects and states of being can affect a person’s life in both positive and negative ways, but most of the affects that will be talked about are negative. In any case, Montaigne’s point of view on such objects connect even to today’s times.