An Additional Idea

So, this has absolutely nothing to do with class, but I just finished reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards a few weeks ago, and the more and more I reflect on it, the more and more I find myself connecting the theme of that novel to my Big Question. The whole premise relates to forgiveness--Dr. Henry must forgive himself for the pain he has caused by lying about his daughter's death, while his family must find it within themselves to forgive him, but by that time it is too late.

The thing that struck me as interesting was how each character deals with forgiveness, or rather a lack thereof. Dr. Henry dives into his photography, Mrs. Henry creates her own business and becomes involved in many affairs, and Paul finds solace in his music. The people most affected by Dr. Henry's choices are the ones who deny the problem the most. I believe this is the case because they lost something--the daughter and sister that has Down syndrome. Caroline, however, seeks Dr. Henry throughout the book, updating him as to Phoebe's condition and life and even going so far as finding him at a showing of his photography. She confronts him about his choice and forgives him because with her Phoebe has a much better life than if she was put into an institution. Caroline gains this girl as a part of her life. So, this poses yet another question: Is it easier to forgive when you gain something than when you lose something?

I'm not sure where I am going with this right now, but I figured I might as well get my thoughts out there so I can find them later if need be. I am sure I'll post more when I think of it, this was just sort of spur-of-the-moment blogging. How exciting!

An Artist's Journey Through Sin: Learning to Forgive Oneself

Something interesting that I noticed while reading Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was how huge of a role confession played in the book. Stephen must confess his sins to the priest and is given a penance to help redeem himself. Despite this, he constantly struggles with finding it within himself to forgive his own actions. This is an interesting twist on my Big Question. Stephen denies his senses as a means of his own personal penance (Chapter 4), constantly telling himself that he is horrible and always reflecting back to the sermon on hell (Chapter 3). He considers becoming a priest himself, but he cannot imagine having to listen to other people confess their own sins to him.

It isn't until he truly finds himself that he can forgive himself for his actions. Once he realizes how much his experiences shape him and his art, he realizes that what he did may have been wrong, but it was actually the right thing for him to do. He is able to forgive himself for his actions and fully understand how he needs experiences to write, to become a poet. This whole thing contributes to his journey as an artist, and in turn, his heroic journey.

Joyce's novel has added an interesting new facet to my Big Question. I think it is interesting how Stephen does not long for the forgiveness of others, but rather forgiveness from himself. I think forgiving oneself is the hardest because you know every aspect and it is an interal battle that you experience. Stephen becomes a stronger man and artist for enduring it.

Forgiveness During the Holocaust: A Perspective from The Book Thief

In Markus Zusak's novel The Book Thief, Liesel must learn to forgive her own people for following Hitler's ideology and persecuting the Jews. She befriends Max, a young Jewish man who her foster parents are hiding in their basement. The two develop an unlikely friendship, and through his stories about his life and how he feels about being persecuted, Liesel must come to terms with the fact that she is not like the other German people who openly hate and harm the Jews. She also must learn to forgive them for burning what she finds to be the most prized objects--books.

For much of the novel, Liesel feels resentment towards many of the people she encounters--her mother for abandoning her, her neighbor for how she treats her foster family, even her own people. But as she grows up and learns more an more about each person and why they are they way they are, she slowly begins to forgive each one of them. Through an understanding she develops a respect for decisions that she never dreamt of having before. Her interactions with Max teach her that life is far too short and fragile to waste on holding grudges or hating your fellow man.

Max also struggles with forgiveness. He writes stories like "The Standover Man" in an effort to work through his own hatred for Hitler and how people were blindly following him and his word. Liesel helps him in the same way he helps her. After returning from the concentration camp, he knows he cannot hate all Germans, because he knows that they were manipulated and fed propaganda. He had encountered enough Germans who disagreed with Hitler that he knew he could not despise them all. The easiest thing for him to do is to forgive them for what they had unknowingly done.

The Role of Forgiveness in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

Forgiveness manifests itself in Crime and Punishment in an interesting manner. Raskolnikov must learn to forgive himself and to overcome his own mental blocks. He believes that "extraordinary" people are automatically forgiven for crimes if they are done to better mankind and society. Porfiry also personally forgives Raskolnikov for his crimes due to this philosophy. This is opposite from how we view forgiveness in our judicial system. Yet Raskolnikov also must serve his sentence for his crime, even though Porfiry had understood why he had killed Alyona and Lizaveta.

Redemption is a huge part of this novel, and in order to be redeemed, one must both be forgiven by others and must forgive themselves. Raskolnikov's final character change brought about right before his confession proves that he has forgiven himself because he knows that Sonya has forgiven him as well.

Something I have been thinking about is Lizaveta's murder. She was an innocent bystander who was in no way personally involved with the murder, she just happened to stumble in at the wrong time. Raskolnikov explains why he kills Alyona--because she was a "louse"--but he never explains nor truly apologizes for taking this innocent life. I am currently not sure why I keep wondering about this, but I really wonder how he can consider himself "redeemed" when he never addresses this sin. Just a quick thought.

Forgiveness In Henry IV, Part One

Interestingly enough, the subject of forgiveness in Henry IV, Part One does not truly appear until the closing act of the play. Forgiveness is addressed in an intriguing way in Act 5 of Henry IV, Part One. In scene 1, the king explains to Vernon and Worcester that if they end the rebellion, he would be willing to look the other way and "forgive" their treasonous actions. This seems to be a generous offer from a king who cares only for himself, and later in the final scene of the play, the king orders Vernon and Worcester to be executed for helping to lead the rebellion. This is ironic because King Henry won the battle, yet he is still killing his enemies--the people who he told he would forgive them. As a foil to the king's actions, Prince Hal actually releases Douglas in the same scene because even though he was against the crown, Douglas fought valiantly and with honor and integrity. It seems the prince was able to forgive his enemy in order to rise above his father, proving that he will be a better, more competent ruler of the kingdom than his father was. In this way, Hal is almost taking on the "leader as father" role, forgiving one of his subjects--his "child"--to better the cause of the nation.