United in Conflict

            The question of whether or not there is a universal connection between all stories has incited insightful debates in the world of literature. Even Kurt Vonnegut, the famous author of Slaughterhouse- Five and many other novels and short stories, has weighed in on the issue. In his lecture, “The Shapes of Stories” he tracked the emotional fluctuations that occur in various novels. Then for each novel, he graphed his findings on the same “B-E” and “G-I” axes (with the “B-E” axis showing the chronological progression of the novel and the “G-I” axis showing level of positive or negative emotion) to compare their shapes. His graph is shown below: 

 From doing so, he uncovered a few main types of story shapes that every quality story ever written can fit into. As I watched a recording of this lecture, an interesting fact revealed itself: every graph crossed the “B-E” axis at some point and fell into the realm of “ill fortune”. This fall occurred due to a conflict or problem that a character faced. Since all story shapes, and therefore all stories, had this feature in common, conflict is a characteristic that makes every story similar. 

Of course, it makes sense that every story would have a conflict of some kind, since conflict sets events in a story into motion, However, even the kinds of conflict that are found in stories are similar. For example, In George Orwell’s 1984, conflict is created by the tensions between the mindset of Winston Smith and his surrounding society. There is a similar tension between Meursault’s opinions on life and the opinions on life that the society around him has, which causes problems for Meursault in Albert Camus’ The Stranger. On the surface, these stories seem very different, as one takes place in an eerie dystopian society, whereas the other is set in a more familiar 1940’s French Algeria. However, through their similar conflicts, both stories express the human desire for the freedom of personal opinion and the dislike of oppressive outside control. 

To summarize, we have discovered that every story contains similar conflicts, and conflicts reflect what values societies deem important. With this information in mind, it makes sense that all stories would be similar due to similar conflicts, since as humans we tend to value the same things. From ancient Rome to modern day and all around the globe, humans value freedom, self-discovery, friendship, and family amongst many other things. It is these shared values that manifest themselves in literature and unite the whole world under a few, similar stories.

Who knew conflict could do such a good job of uniting people?

In the Mind of an Absurdist

 

    I have never met anyone quite like Meursault. I have been getting to know him through reading The Stranger by Albert Camus (he’s the protagonist in the novel), and I have discovered that his way of life is unique and interesting. He seems to live completely in the present, and his mind is completely consumed by the practical while being perplexed by the abstract. It is his perspective that gives The Stranger its meaning and backbone as an absurdist novel. This point of view also serves as a lens through which absurdism can be analyzed in the context of the novel.

Since The Stranger is written in 1st person subjective point of view, we as the readers can hear Meaurault’s thoughts as he leads us through the story’s events. For example, while at the funeral, we hear him observing that “the countryside had been buzzing with the sound of insects and the crackling of grass.” By knowing Meursult’s thoughts and by experiencing events through his point of view, we see how little thought and importance is given to abstract concepts and how much value is given to the concrete. We also see that Meursault cannot really understand social relationships, and he accepts death without much emotion. Meursault’s perceptions reinforce absurdism's policy of relying on the concrete to navigate life and recognizing the illogical nature of the abstract and the inevitability of death. Since we rely on Meursault to guide us through the story, we cannot help but also see his world in this way.

Meursault uses both indirect and direct discourse in his narrations. When he tells about his discussions with Marie about getting married, he uses indirect discourse, merely summarizing his dialogue, “I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to.” However, he uses direct discourse when saying “no” to Marie’s question of whether or not marriage is serious. Depending on how a line of dialogue is inserted in his narration, the absurdist Meursault shows how important the meaning of the line is, with paraphrased lines being unimportant and direct quotes being important. In this example, the choice of whether or not to marry is deemed unimportant, whereas the lack of sincerity in marriage is seen as important. Mearsault’s opinions on what is important and unimportant mirror the opinions of absurdism, which sees choice as futile and believes that everything abstract, including marriage, is meaningless. Even the mix of indirect and direct discourse in the novel illustrates the disorder and illogicalness in the world that absurdism supports. 

With Meursault as our guide, we can venture into the realm of absurdism that dominates The Stranger and embark on an enlightening adventure.

Follow Interstate 40

    Who doesn’t love the classic story, The Wizard of Oz? With its lovable characters and exciting adventures, very few can resist chanting “There’s no place like home” by the time Dorothy is back in Kansas. The only thing I could think of while watching the sometimes dark, tragi-comedy Little Miss Sunshine in my English class this week was this heartwarming family film. At first I did not understand why this title popped into my mind, but after analyzing elements of both movies, I realized that they both have similar plot lines, archetypes and themes, even if they are delivered in different ways. 

Both films begin with characters who are generally unhappy. Dorothy feels out of place on the farm, and the Hoover family in Little Miss Sunshine is dysfunctional. Suddenly, both Dorothy and the Hoovers are transported to a different world. In Dorothy’s case, a tornado takes her on a journey down the yellow brick road, while a phone call from Sheryl’s sister whisks the Hoovers down the highway to California in a bright yellow van.

    Even the characters in both movies are similar. Dorothy and Olive are both going to their “Oz” to achieve their dreams. Glinda the Good Witch serves as Dorothy’s mentor and always believes in her, much like how Grandpa Edwin trains Olive for pageants and teaches her to love who she is. The lion, who is seeking courage, is represented both by Dwayne and Frank, since they both need to become courageous enough to come to terms with the reality of their lives. Richard Hoover (Olive’s dad) is Little Miss Sunshine’s tin man, since they are missing a nurturing temperament and heart respectively. Olive’s mom, Sheryl, mirrors the scarecrow. The scarecrow needs a brain, and Sheryl needs to better understand the members of her family. Olive’s Wizard of Oz is represented by the judges in the pageant, since she believes they can give her the success she wants. Some characters from The Wizard of Oz are represented in Little Miss Sunshine in non-human forms. Olive’s music is her Toto, since it is always with her, and the Wicked Witch of the West is represented by all of the various conflicts the Hoover’s face. 

In the end of both stories, all characters realize that they were happy where they were before they left on their journeys. Of course, this does not mean that their homes are blissful and perfect, but they are perfect for them. They also realize that they had the characteristic they seemed to be lacking all along.

I will never look at either movie the same way again!