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FLE129 Sec 2

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FLE 129: INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

Søren Kierkegaard says, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived
forwards.” This quote can be interpreted as that to live and finalize the future life, a person
must understand his/her past because actions in the past define the future. This pattern is also
touched upon many times in literary works. Two of those examples are Eveline by James
Joyce and Oedipus the King by Sophocles. In both works, the pasts of characters have an
enormous role in their future lives. This essay will focus on how the past is essential in these
two literary works and compare them regarding their similarities and differences in handling
the subject.

Firstly, in both literary pieces, there are some similarities between characters; they are victims
of the past, which their parents decide. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus was destined to death by
his parents because of a prophecy. In Eveline, Eveline was destined to take care of his father
and brothers because of a promise she made to her mother. These two protagonists lived
undesired consequences of their pasts because of things they cannot control. For example, if
Oedipus had lived with his biological parents in a loving family, would he still kill his father
and marry his mother? This question may be vague but, in the drama, when Oedipus hears the
prophecy while he is with his new family, he tries to escape it due not to hurt them. If he
learned that while he was with his biological parents, he may try to run away from the
prophecy again and, eventually, would not kill anyone. Furthermore, in Eveline’s case, she
was a young girl when her mother died, and she gave that promise. Taking care of a family is
a big responsibility for a young girl without a mother. Her father was violent towards her
brothers and threatening her; he did not respect them. Instead of going to school and playing
with her friends, Eveline had to send her brothers to school and deal with her father. If she
had a conscious and helpful father, she would not consider escaping with a man she did not
love. When these situations are considered, it can be seen the actions they did were pre-
destined. Another resemblance between those characters is no matter what they do to leave
the past behind; they ended up in the same position. For example, when there was corruption
in Thebes, Oedipus ignored the warnings and continued his search for the correct answer
because, in deep down, he did not want to believe that he may be the reason. However, he
ended up hearing the truth and punishing himself. In Eveline, she tries to leave her past, her
family behind by escaping with her lover, but during the whole story, she reviews her past
over and over and cherishes those bad and good moments. In the end, she cannot leave her
family and her past behind even though she was in the port. These two characters are similar
in the ways that they ended up in the situations destined for them by their parents. They lived
their lives according to their parents’ choices, and they both ended up in miserable situations
because of conditions they cannot control.

Secondly, in both literary pieces, there are some differences in handling the subject of ‘’past’’.
Although Eveline was reviewing her old life repeatedly, in Oedipus, the concept of ‘’future’’
was also important. Oedipus tried to escape from not only his past but also his future due to a
prophecy, and in that drama, the accuracy of destiny was as crucial as the past in shaping their
lives. Nonetheless, Eveline was so scared to live her future because it was full of unknowns.
She did not know the language of the country she will go to; she did not know any people
there. To put it differently, as she did not know her future, she chose familiarity of her past
and continued to live it as her next life in contrast to Oedipus, whose future was in front of
him with certainty. Another difference between those characters is their consciousness and
unconsciousness. Oedipus did everything he did in the past unknowingly. As a result, he did
not have a word on his future because he was ignorant. However, Eveline was aware of
everything, and she had a chance to escape anytime due to awareness. Instead, she chose to
stay and keep her promise which she gave to her mother. When these two characters are
compared, until the ending of the drama, Oedipus was not aware of his past and the
consequences of his actions because, in his mind, he was doing the right thing. In the end, he
ended up in a miserable future unconsciously. However, Eveline knew the results of her
actions. Even though she had a painful past, she consciously chose to keep living it as she
decided to stay. As a result, her bleak future was determined by herself.

To conclude, the concept of ‘’past’’ has an enormous impact on one’s own future. Whether it
comes consciously or unconsciously, a person is responsible for one’s own actions in shaping
his/her future. Due to that, past and future cannot be thought of separately. In these two
protagonists’ cases, they ended up in positions they do not want to, but this does not mean
they do not have a chance to change their futures. Eveline’s deciding to stay, Oedipus’
blinding himself can show that they have word on their ends but the past that shapes it was
beyond their control.