Man Vs Fate
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Throughout history there have been many stories about free will and determinism, and mans struggle with who actually control of these out comes. In these stories are common questions and dilemmas and they are who are directing their lives, who are in charge of their outcomes? In my paper I will show how free will plays a bigger role then destiny in Oedipus the King and Frankenstein.
“Free Will” is a philosophical term of art for a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives (OConnor). In other words it is the it is humans being responsible for their own actions. “Determinism” is the assumption that all of mans behavior, thoughts and feelings, are forced by various stimuli impinging upon him (Bohnert). Otherwise this is known as destiny, and that our lives already being determined by a higher being or power.
Throughout Oedipus, Sophocles showed how Oedipus and the characters followed their predetermined paths and at other times they tried to show free will. The oracle told him hed kill his Father and marry his Mother. Oedipus decided that he was going to change his predetermined fate by not going home which would prevent any of the prophecy from happening.
Oedipus made the decisions that led to his downfall. He could have waited for the plague to end, but to be the leader of his suffering people; he had Creon go to Delphi. When he learned of Apollos word he could have found out who murdered King Laius, but instead he cursed the murderer, which actually cursed himself. “I curse myself as wellif by any chance he proves to be an intimate of our house, here at my heart, with my full knowledge, may the curse I just called down on him strike me!” (Sophocles 284-287). If Oedipus didnt act on his free will he would have not learned of his past.
Jocasta tried to convince Oedipus that man truly does have free will when she states “Fear? What should a man fear? Its all chance, chance rules our lives. Not a man earth can see a day ahead, groping through the dark, Better to live at random, best we can” (Sophocles 1068-1073). This shows that even thought the prophecy is coming true she still believes that there is free will and man does have control of their own destiny.
In Oedipus two characters in the story that truly took control of their own fate and showed free will were Oedipus when he poked his eyes out with Jocastas broach. He made sure that the towns people of Thebes knew that he did this to himself “Apollo, friend! Apollo – he ordained my agonies – these, my pains on pains! But the hand that struck my eyes was mine, mine alone – no one else – I did it myself” (Sophocles 1467-1471) Jocasta also showed free will when she took her own life, by hanging herself.
Frankenstein was as a young boy became obsessed with studying outdated theories about what gives humans their life spark. While in college he created his own “perfect” human from scavenged body parts, but once it lived, the creature was hideous. Frankenstein was disgusted by its ugliness, so he ran away from it then spent the rest of this life trying to destroy this creation.
Compared to Oedipus the struggle of free will and destiny is clear, however in Frankenstein there is a battle between the two. In the beginning Robert Walton is writing about his adventure to the North Pole, which is own desires brought him to this exploration. Walton comments “I voluntarily endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep” (Shelley 8) which states that this was Waltons free will to be on this adventure.
It could be argued that Walton and Frankenstein were destined to meet, and without that meeting the end of the story would have had to take on a whole new ending. However it was their free will that leads them to their ultimate paths. Their choices that they made changed their own consequences ultimately. Their drive and dedication to find out the answers was their focus and not their meeting. Their meeting was a mere by-product of their own free will choices.
Frankenstein sums this up when he states “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you as mine has