Historical contexts and literature

Human Nature in Literature and History

What is history and why is it important? History is the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from the past to the present and even into the future (Wordsearch 2010). History is important because it is what shapes both humanity and the events and trends that surround culture and civilization. It gives people an understanding of why things are and why people behave the way they do. It also helps to understand how and why people perceive others. History is in us and around us. Parents teach their children about their family history so it helps them understand who they are -- the very nature of humanity. The idea of personal history has even become part of popular culture. Instead, history is a combination of trends, facts, figures, people, dialog, and brush strokes that are continually interpreted. History helps us understand who we are, where we have been, and where, we might go -- strategically or tactically. George Santayana, a 19th/20th century philosopher and novelist, in his book The Life of Reason wrote about progress, about common sense, and about the manner in which humans can enjoy a self-actualized life. In this book he separates humans from beasts by their capacity to understand and embrace change, famously quoted as "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (McCormick 2003, 144). Within the broad range of history, though, and as we take on the responsibility of becoming global citizens, we must ask ourselves why historical interpretations of human nature seem to vary over time and place.

One would think that defining human nature -- what it is to be human, would be relatively easy. It is, however, quite complex and certainly dependent upon a number of factors: in the modern world, for instance, human nature seems to be often the path of least resistence. Prior to the Medieval Period, the idea of the individual/self had numerous permutations. For instance, the concept of self became quite elaborate in Ancient Greece and Rome, in which the idea of humanism took on new meaning as it was debated from Plato and Aristotle through Livy and the later Roman Poets. For example, in the Greek myth of Prometheus, and individual is seen as responsible for his own actions, and has the free will with which to decide upon those actions. They actions may be helpful or harmful to society, yet there is enough faith in the individual to allow freedom of will -- regardless of consequence. Socrates chose death rather than dishonor in an individual decision, and while the famous Oracle at Delphi was used as a predictor of the spinning web of the Gods within the human realm, even Plato agreed that there was an individual's self role, even though there was a higher sense of belonging to the State and ultimately to the will of the Gods (Roochnik, 2004).

This Promethean archetype is alive and well in Albert Camus' The Guest. For Camus, decisions and choices have consequences and the ultimate consequence, of course, is death. Death, however, is not simply a random event -- a chance happening. Instead, Camus' existentialism shines through with the thought that all humans eventually die, and that after you are dead (non-existent) life is immaterial. The work is heavily influenced by Camus' views on French colonialism and the historical nature of Algeria -- what happens to an intellectual who refuses to take a strong side in the conflict -- who can logically understand and see both sides of the argument, and instead of becoming pedantic on the subject, has a choice: Daru can choose to turn a blind eye to the prisoner, or turn him in; the prisoner can choose to go to jail or flee. And, if one flees historical reality, then, is it not futile in that eventually it will catch up with us? As a "guest" of this world, then, what is the basic responsibility we have towards humanity? Daru chooses an isolated and ascetic life -- he flees society, but society catches up with him, and it is his decision that allows him to become -- more human. Of true importance in this work is that the original title in French, L'hote means two things -- the guest, or the host. Thus, the title refers to the struggle of both the prisoner and the schoolmaster; giving the reader a moral guide that is less than logical, but historically practical (Camus, 2000).

Gimpel the Fool is a Yiddish tale set down by Isaac Singer, and translated into English in 1953. In essence, it is representative of much of the Judaic culture -- the journey the individual takes, through trials and tribulations, to find faith, guidance, and ultimately self-actualization within a cruel world. Gimpel accepts that the town thinks of him as a fool, representative of the outside world having little trust in his acumen -- and as a fool, he is therefore boxed into situation (at the bakery where he works, the village understanding he could not possibly be his child's natural father, etc.). Instead, though, like Camus's Daru, regardless of what Gimpel does, he is at the mercy of trends -- of whirlpools of history that are inescapable. By narrating the story himself, Gimpel asks the reader to really decide who might be fooling whom? Who, in fact, has integrity, who treats everyone with respect, and when Gimpel says, "One can't pass through life unscathed, nor expect to," he indicates not weakness, but strength (Singer, 2006).