Classical literature overview and historical significance

Classical Literature

Job and Oedipus: A Comparison and Contrast Essay

There are many similarities between Job and Oedipus, and there are a few differences that must be discussed as well. The purpose and goal of this paper is to make clear the important ways that Job and Oedipus were very much alike, and also the important ways that they were different. In doing so, much about the two men and how they lived their lives, at least in the tales told of them, will be brought to light for examination and scrutiny based on how they react to situations that they are placed in.

It is clear that Oedipus is definitely acting in the best interests of the community, but he does not do this because he feels some moral or ethical obligation toward that community. The things that Oedipus does he does only for himself, and there is nothing that will make him compromise or turn aside from his search for the truth. There are many reasons that he could find to change his search and do something else, and there are many principles on which he could base this change and others would believe in it. The problem, however, would be that Oedipus would know in his heart that what he was doing was not right. In other words, he would cease to be true to himself, which is unimaginable for someone like Oedipus, who is so strong and determined about what he is doing.

This is one way in which Oedipus is very much like Job. Both of them are waiting for an answer from God, and they do not choose to accept any other answers. That is the only one that will ever be acceptable to either one of them. They are also both very stubborn. Neither one want to change what they think, feel, and believe, and they will stand up for the way that they live and make no apologies for it. It is simply who they are, and they do not feel that they are doing anything wrong by being true to themselves and what they believe to be the truth of their lives.

A big difference between Job and Oedipus comes in when fate finally reveals itself and lets them know what is supposed to happen. Job, accepting that this is the will of God and the way that things are supposed to be, gladly agrees with what fate has dealt him and is completely willing to accept it. Oedipus, however, does no such thing. He doesn't like what fate has revealed to him, and acts as though there must be some mistake. Up until his end, he continues to defy what fate has shown him, believing that what he was given by fate what not what he should have received.

People like Oedipus seem to be caring and compassionate for others in the beginning, but it is soon revealed that they care only for themselves. This is not that they care so much for their bodies and other things that make them human, but for being the one who is right in the very end. They do not want to lose, or feel that they are wrong in any way. Job does not possess this trait as much as Oedipus does, which is why he gives in and accepts fate at the end and Oedipus does not.

Many people do not like the ending of the story of Job, however, because they find that it is not satisfying in some fundamental way. Instead of continuing to fight, Job seemingly gives up and aligns his desires with those of a higher power and authority. It seems that he gives in, in the end, and no longer stands up for what he believed all along. Oedipus does not do this. All the way to the end of his tale he refused to align his desires and dreams with anyone else's, and he does not concern himself with how powerful anyone else is. The power of someone else does not convince Oedipus to change. He is a tragic hero in this respect, where Job is not. Whether what Job did makes more sense than what Oedipus did is a matter of opinion, as some see Job as weak and others admire his decision.

Job dealt with so much in his life, as God allowed Satan to take away everything that Job held dear to him. It was a test of his faith in God. Because Job finally accepted everything that had happened to him as God's will, he was richly blessed beyond his wildest dreams and he had much that he would never have acquired otherwise. He did not lose his faith in God simply because times were hard, although he was often very upset by the way that things were happening in his life. He did not understand why he needed to go through so much pain when he had tried very hard to go everything that God wanted him to do, but after he had lamented everything that had befallen him, he finally decided that he would accept whatever came to him, and that God must have a reason for it. It was only when he accepted everything for what it was that God allowed him to have so much more than he had previously had.

With Oedipus, fate was the intervening force, but the story has a somewhat similar theme. The details are, of course, very different, but the same general idea about there being a higher power which cannot be avoided is the same in both stories. Oedipus was predestined to kill his father and marry his mother, and even though his parents knew this, they could not stop what fate had in store for them. They even tried to kill Oedipus when he was a baby, but nothing could stop what fate had in store. Oedipus fought against this when he learned of the prophecy, but there was nothing that could be done, and it ended up coming true regardless of what he did to try to avoid it.

The main point of both Job and Oedipus is that there are forces at work in everyone's life that mortal men cannot understand and cannot change. Whether men call in 'God' or 'fate' or something else, depending on religious beliefs and opinions, most would agree that there is some force of some kind that really controls what is done here on earth. There are others, of course, that would discount all stories of fate, God, and anything else of this nature, and insist that coincidence is the only thing that happens in men's lives to produce these kinds of results. It would seem, however, that both Job and Oedipus had much to deal with in their lives and that trying to change what was happening to them did not do any good for either of them. It was only an exercise in futility.