Future Uncertainty

Although it talks about slavery and it isn’t the first book I read in the topic, Uncle Tom's Cabin is a book unlike any other I have ever read. Although it focuses on slavery, I can't help but notice connections to several novels we have read throughout the year. I have already discussed some of these similarities in my previous blog but as I read the last section I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between this book and another work, Hamlet. Although it is presented in very different ways, both of these books address the topics of action and inaction, and the consequences these may have in people's lives.

Hamlet's entire story revolves around the fact of whether or not he chooses to take action and live up to his family name, or continue t9o be a coward and live in shame. A clear example of this is when Hamlet exclaims, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." (Act 3, Sc 1, Ln 4) This quote not only reflects Hamlet's fear of carrying out his actions, it is the perfect portrayal of human being's fear of action due to the consequences we may later face. However, this is not the only fear we experience since our inaction itself may bring even more dire consequences than the actions themselves would have. We are often caught in this awkward limbo between what we want to do and what we actually end up doing, often without stopping to measure the implications this may have on our lives.

Tom's story, although quite different, does have one similar element, and that presents itself at the moment of Mr. St. Clare's death, when Toms starts to wonder what will happen to his dreams of becoming a free man. Tom begins to wonder about "the hope of liberty, the thought of distant wife and children, rose up before his patient soul…seen over the top of some black wave only for one last farewell." (pg. 367) Tom was caught in the same situation as Hamlet after Eva's death, when St. Clare told him he could go back to his family, yet Tom decided to stay with him until they both got over their terrible loss. This decision, although made unaware of its repercussions, left Tom worse off than when he started, for he not only lost Eva, and St. Clare, waiting caused him to lose his family and his freedom as well. This brings up the question of whether it is better to do as our heart tells us to, or if following the path of the mind is what should be done. The future is unpredictable and no one can know what things will come their way, and this makes each and every one of our actions vital, yet meaningless at the same time because regardless of what you do, you don’t know if you made the right decision.

Indecision is something that will be present in our lives whether we are young or old, smart or inexperienced. The unpredictability of the future is what keeps life interesting and if we always knew what we were going to do in every situation, what would be the point of living?

It's a Mad World We're Living In

Living in a world we consider mad may have various effects on people and the way they view different aspects of life. Madness, both in literature and in real life, has helped open the eyes of many, and allowed them to see that was really in front of them. In Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, madness is present in the society the book portrays, but this madness leads the characters to look further into the realities of life, and reflect, much like the Chief did in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, on the intricacies of loss and justice.

Although they are very different characters, both the Chief and Augustine St. Clare grieve in silence. This can be demonstrated when Marie accuses her husband of not showing any emotion regarding the recent death of their daughter, and Miss Ophelia answers "Still waters run the deepest." (pg. 342) Despite it being a short quote, it portrays how the people that appear to be the most calm or collected often have storms raging on inside their heads. Or else the pain they feel regarding the loss of freedom or the loss of a loved one has left them empty inside, allowing for nothing other than their prolonged silence, since they no longer have words to express what they are feeling (or, in some cases, not feeling.) This also shows how easy it is to judge things at first sight, without taking the time to understand what is really going on and why they look or act the way they do. These two characters lost the most important pillars in their lives, and were left stranded in the middle of the ocean of life, with no one to hold on to except for McMurphy and Uncle Tom.

Another aspect that stands out in both of these works is how the most unusual people often hold the most truth in regards to society, whether it is in the form of an innocent, sweet little girl or a tall, quiet Native American in a mental asylum. When a seven year old girl is the only one who can see what is wrong with society, such as is expressed in the following quote: "…when I saw those poor creatures… [I] felt that I would be glad to die, if my dying could stop all this misery." (pg 313) one realizes that there truly is something wrong. Much in the same way the Chief ends up being one of the most sober characters in the novel, Eva is the only character who has transmitted her feelings of injustice to those around her, insisting that they live in an unfair world, that people should be loved and cared for, regardless of their skin color. This little girl is the voice of reason trying to get through to all those others who simply live by society's standards, without stopping to question why they do the things they do. Whenever we question society and its ways, we are considered mad, and if this holds true, then mad people are the only ones that will seek to change things and actually strive to make a difference in their societies, regardless how big or small.

Telling two completely different, yet somewhat relating stories, both Ken Kessey and Harriet Beecher Stowe manage to capture an essence of humanity that is often forgotten or disregarded by most: madness and the way it affects us as people and the stand we take regarding different things. It takes mad people to change the world, but when a change is needed, madness is the only answer.