Jeffersonian Belief and Fiction Although

Jeffersonian Belief and Fiction

Although Thomas Jefferson was a great politician and political theorist, his analysis of the value of fiction is sorely lacking. True, it is better to read books that illuminate complex and profound truths about the nature of the human condition, than it is to read books that are merely chewing gum for the mind. However, Jefferson's assertion is rested upon a fallacy, namely that fiction is less likely or able than nonfiction to be educational. Sometimes, by creating fictional characters an author is freer to create representational characters that reveal more about the nature of real life than stories about real people ever could. The reader is provoked to examine the moral dilemmas of these characters through the plot-driven or allegorical nature of fiction.

Take Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun." The plot of this drama involves a truthful but fiction depiction of the struggles of African-Americans for identity and economic security. By creating a fictional family, Hansberry, in the space of less than two hours, can show different aspects of the Black experience in America. The older generation, represented by the figure of Mama, has worked hard, quietly and with dignity, to create a home where her family can flourish, away from racism and oppression. The younger generation, represented by Walter Lee and his sister Benetha, wants solutions that are more satisfying and more quickly. Walter Lee attempts to use his father's life insurance money to invest in a liquor store to better his lot as a chauffer. He is outraged to be told to "eat his eggs" rather than to dream about a better life. Benetha wants to become a doctor and explore her African, as well as her Black identity. By showing how these different visions of what constitutes a good life clash within one family, all of which touch upon different, real-life, personal interpretations of the Black experience, Hansberry creates a representative family searching for happiness in a more profound way than a real life family might, which might not encompass as many diverse attitudes and experiences within its fold. Also, by forcing the viewer to identify with all of the characters by shaping their speeches, the viewer is able to sympathize with unsympathetic moral decisions, like Walter's theft of his sister's tuition money, even though the viewer does not morally endorse these decisions.

Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" also uses a heightened situation to illustrate a greater human truth. In realistic terms, Bartleby's refusal to work is absurd, at least to the lengths which the title character carries his impulse to "prefer not" to do anything. Also, the level of bureaucratic intransigence of Bartleby's colleagues also seems ridiculous, as they obsess over their fellow worker's refusal to endorse the practices of their offices by toiling away and useless endeavors. But Bartleby's tale illustrates the soul-crushing nature of modern life, and the purposeless of much of the paperwork that human beings are forced to plow through, simply to make a living. Bartleby wants out of the 'rat race,' and by seeing Bartleby's reaction, and the reaction of others to Bartleby's denial of the value of work and government regulation, the reader is able to see the more muted, but still absurd truths of his or her own life with greater clarity. Bartleby's decisions seem heroic on some level from a moral standpoint, because he refuses to endorse the meaningless tasks that he is bound to perform as a result of his job.