I guess a lot of us had a similar reaction to last week’s
assignments. I discovered that the word "fate" has been used 44 times
in the past 11 posts. While this may sound unoriginal, I too have been thinking
about fate a lot. I had a pretty shitty fall semester, and I often found myself
asking, “Why is this happening to me?” as if I would get an answer. After
watching “The Monster at the End of this Book” I understood how out of control Dean
and Sam must have felt. Believing, until that moment in the comic store that
they were the deciders of their own fate, only to realize that they’re merely
pawns in someone else’s grand plan must have been terrifying. They must have
wondered what their purposes were—whether they’re unique individuals or completely
lacking control over their actions. You could see their shared fear that
something more powerful than anything they had ever encountered could be
controlling them.
Shakespeare’s great works center around the idea of fate,
how “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” This
theme has been running throughout literature for centuries. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge we
read Farquhar’s story. He, like most of us never realizes his own fate. He
believes he is speaking to a confederate solider when in reality he is being fated
to die. Farquhar decides to destroy the bridge, but in reality did he even have
a choice? Ambrose Bierce wrote his story, so Farquhar never stood a chance. His
fate was decided before Bierce began writing. I like to believe that I do have
a say in my future and my life isn’t as staged as Farquhar’s. After all, if
every action we take and every decision we make is already decided for us, what
point is there in existing?
I see that someone else posted a John Lennon quote, which
made me think of this one: “Life is what happens while you are busy making
other plans.” I think it’s best to embrace that, but also know that you are the
decider of your destiny. I think what John Lennon meant, what Dean and Sam come
to realize, and what Farquhar portrays is that we shouldn’t get caught up with
the small stuff.
I really like the way you explained fate in your post. No one truly knows their fate because it is dependent on so many different aspects that we haven't even experienced yet in our lives. With Sam and Dean, they had no idea that someone else was "pulling the strings" as you put it. My question would be for them, why not stick around and find out how the rest of their lives will go if they now know the source. Farquhar also had no idea in the story that his small conversation would lead to a fatal death. He creates an imaginary escape in his mind so that he doesn't face the reality of the situation he is in.
ReplyDeleteAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and the Supernatural episode made me think a lot about fate, as well. The John Lennon quote you posted is actually one of my favorite quotes and I really like how you connected it to these two stories. I’ve always interpreted this quote as a kind of warning to make sure we always live in the present, or else life may just pass us by. I agree with you that we we often try to make sense of something that happens in our life by analyzing why it has happened, if it happened for a reason, etc. I think it’s human nature to do this because it can be reassuring to know events that occur in our life have purpose, especially if they aren’t particularly good occurrences. However, I believe this quote tells us that if we spend less time worrying about fate, analyzing every event in our lives, and “making other plans”, then we will be able to really enjoy life to the fullest. Although Sam and Dean are probably dealing with far more dangerous issues than we are, I do agree with you and think that John Lennon would be giving them that same advice.
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