Where do we go when here?

\\

At the Beginning of the path, neutral ity is key as one waits for something to take a driving force in l i fe…

In a Prayer for Owen Meany,

The Short Happy life of Francis Macomber,

and 1984,

the protagonists all take this neutral route and ride with society, waiting for something to give them direction…

As a young child, Owen is tormented by his friends when they throw him up in the air, but he remains polite and collected-

“He would never accuse us. Owen was no rat. As vividly as any number of stories in the bible, Owen showed us what a martyr was. It appeared he had no hard feelings” (Irving 6).

Macomber lives life with no direction, living in a middle ground, waiting for something to guide him-

“It was neither all over nor was it beginning” (Hemingway 4).

Winston is under extreme rule in Oceania and goes along with society-

“You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (Orwell 2).

All of these protagonists live average lives until they encounter their fates. Their neutral lives can be considered unimportant gateways , just leading to the climax

Owen Meany’s purpose in life is found when he has a dream in which he sees himself dying while saving children. The rest of his life is essentially a downfall to his final fate, anticipating for his dream to become reality.

“"I DON'T WANT TO BE A HERO," said Owen Meany. "IT'S NOT THAT I WANT TO BE—IT'S THAT I AM A HERO. I KNOW THAT'S WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE."

"How do you know?" I asked him."IT'S NOT THAT I WANT TO GO TO VIETNAM—IT'S WHERE I HAVE TO

GO. IT'S WHERE I'M A HERO. I'VE GOT TO BE THERE," he said."THE WAY YOU KNOW SOME THINGS—YOUR OBLIGATIONS, YOUR

DESTINY OR YOUR FATE," HE SAID. "THE WAY YOU KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO." (Irving 471).

Macomber’s epiphany in life comes after he successfully kills a lion. With this new found happiness and validation, his life quickly comes and goes-

“Macomber felt a wild unreasonable happiness that he had never known before” (Hemingway 11).

“You know something did happen to me, he said. I feel absolutely different” (12).

Winston’s fate is determined when he decided to go against the party with his lover, Julia.

“To die hating them, that was freedom” (Orwell).

In these three texts, all three of the protagonists die at the end of the text, after unyieldingly going for their perceived fates. These three men all had their rationale for giving up their lives for feelings of validation and fulfillment, but none of them had evidence set in stone that these leaps of fate were necessary.

This shows how easily swayed men can be, and how easily they will risk their lives in order to step out of the regular, conformed life and have unique/original purpose… This leads to the question: where do we go when we die?

Works Cited

• Hemingway, Ernest. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Scribner's, 1987. Print.

• Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel. New York: Morrow, 1989. Print.

• Orwell, George. 1984. Madrid: J.A. Mestas, 2003. Print.