The Human Heart in Conflict with Itself - Assignment Example

The Human Heart in Conflict With Itself In his Nobel Prize Speech, delivered in Stockholm on December 10, 1950, William Faulkner s that young writers have "forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing." He encourages young writers to address universal themes. He cites fear, pride, compassion, and sacrifice as examples of universal themes. In short, he argues that meaningful writing must concern itself with meaningful conflicts. These conflicts must be ones which human beings experience at the basest level of existence, and which readers can relate to deeply and personally. The goals of literature, therefore, are to encourage the human race to recognize these conflicts of the human heart and to encourage human beings to endure hardships and prevail in moments of conflict and uncertainty. Faulkner concludes his speech by asserting that, "the poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail" (Nobel Prize Speech, np.). This essay will examine two pieces of literature against the backdrop of Faulkner's standard for good and meaningful writing. The first is Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad and the second is The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Lord Jim In Lord Jim we become witnesses to the deeply profound struggles of a young British seaman named Jim. He is hired as a lowly ship's mate aboard a ship crowded with pilgrims. In the beginning, Jim is idealistic about his role on the ship. "He saw himself saving people from sinking ships, cutting away masts in a hurricane, swimming through a surf with a line; or as a lonely castaway, barefooted and half naked, walking on uncovered reefs in search of shellfish to stave of starvation" (pg. 47). The universal themes mentioned by Faulkner are present. Jim idealizes himself sacrificing, defeating fear, and prevailing in difficult circumstances. Significantly, when disaster does strike, Jim does not perform as he had imagined. Jim's ship is very soon after these musings caught in a terrible storm. It is his moment of truth. He has imagined his bravery and self-sacrifice in such a situation. The reader, however, is witness to no bravery. Jim succumbs to his fear of the storm and abandons the ship. He saves himself and leaves his fellow shipmates, the pilgrims, and the ship to face the wrath of the storm. Jim is subsequently put on trial for his dereliction of duty. He is stripped of his nautical certificate and left feeling ashamed and worthless. His initial image of himself as a brave seaman has been proven false. He is now a coward and deemed unfit for duty on the sea. This is a classic example of the struggle of the heart to which Faulkner alludes. Marlowe, the narrator of Lord Jim, observes at the trial that the court "wanted facts. Facts! They demanded facts from him, as if facts could explain anything!" (pg. 63). Facts, in short, are unable to explain such a profound personal conflict. Jim experienced fear, the threat of death, and he reacted to preserve his own life. The scene on the ship was chaotic. Nonetheless, Jim is now treated as a dishonorable man. He is shamed for fleeing from danger. What Conrad teaches us is that the universal themes addressed by Faulkner are extraordinarily powerful and dominant. We cannot idealize away the power of fear. We cannot romanticize away the pains and costs associated with sacrifice. Jim learns this first-hand. He isn't a bad person, though he is judged so by his peers, but a character whom struggles with a deeply confusing conflict and chooses to preserve himself. Jim could have done otherwise, but his failings teach us how difficult it truly is to be brave. The Metamorphosis: Gregor Samsa's Uneasy Dreams We witness Gregor Samsa's struggles in a strange way. His struggle is presented both comically and tragically. Gregor is a normal human being. He goes to sleep one evening and as he "awakes one morning from a troubled dream, he found himself changed in his bed to some monstrous kind of vermin" (Kafka, np). A normal reaction would be shock. Gregor, however, is too worried about how he will get to work to indulge in shock. All of his efforts are concentrated on trying to make sure that he does not miss a day at the office. He tries to speak, but as an insect is unable to call out for help. He considers how to get out of his bed, but he can not roll over. He calculates whether he can still catch the train and explain his tardiness to his employers. In short, he is so consumed with his fear of disappointing his employer, and losing his job, that he is oblivious to the fact that he has transformed from a human being into an insect overnight. When he is finally discovered by his family, Gregor's sister states that "We must try to get rid of it. We've done everything humanly possible to take care of it and to put up with it, no one can blame us in the least" (Kafka, np). The reality is that Gregor is an insect. He is abandoned by his family; still, despite these tragedies, Gregor persists in his quest to recover and resume gainful employment. Kafka is teaching of the corrupting influence of work. More particularly, he is implying that an obsession with work and money has made Gregor non-human. The universal theme, in Faulkner's view, might be Gregor's internal conflict regarding the meaning of his life. Is Gregor nothing more than an insect Is his existance to be defined primarily by his ability to earn money for himself and his family We learn that Gregor rejects this type of existance. He has either become an insect or, perhaps, simply opted-out of the rat race at his own peril. In conclusion, the characters in Lord Jim and The Metamorphosis are the products of what William Faulkner would consider good and worthwhile writing. These characters struggle with internal conflicts, these conflicts involve fundamental and universal themes, and readers can derive lessons and wisdom from the struggles of these characters. Works Cited Conrad, J. Lord Jim. Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics: New York. 1986. Faulkner, William. Nobel Prize Speech. 10 Dec. 1950. Rpt. on William Faulkner on the Web. 26 September 2005. 19 August 2006 . Kafka, F. The Metamorphosis. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5200 Read More