Fate in Literature
Stories whether they are presented in film, printed or orally spoken all share important commonalities. One of the important shared elements amongst stories that have been around for hundreds maybe even thousands of years in literature is the role of fate within the stories. Fate in literature can be broadly defined as the power, influence or will of a superior or supernatural force that stages and predetermines events in the voyage of a the main character in the story (Princeton.edu).
A classic example of this is the tragedy written by Sophocles, the infamous tale of Oedipus Rex a king who desperately seeks to outrun, challenge and contradict fate, but is unable to because the supernatural forces above him (The Gods), have predetermined and staged inevitable events in his life. Fate is a very interesting topic to explore as it relates to stories because it challenges the notion of free will. This is important because many times specially in adventures or epics, free will is closely related and associated with concepts of uncertainty, adventure both of which provide excitement. If a person believes that fate is inevitable, then it takes away from the excitement of the story because it ultimately takes away meaning and value from the decisions that characters make.
On the other hand fate can also be considered a blessing or a positive thing, maybe even source of comfort because both readers of a story as well as characters within the story can rid themselves of guilt and disappoint and place the responsibility of the final story outcome on supernatural forces beyond their control. In order for fate to be analyzed and explored critics of literature must accept that there are forces beyond their control at work. It can be compared to a show of puppets on strings, where a puppeteer is above all the characters controlling them while at the same time providing the illusion to the crowd that these characters or puppets have free will. In order to consider fate within stories we must accept that there are supernatural forces above the characters. In earlier works of literature especially those that are of ancient Greek origin, the supernatural forces at play that determine fate are easy to identify and point out. The same can be said for Medieval and Renaissance literature which was heavily influenced by Christianity, in these two categories of literature it appears that God is the determining and supernatural force behind faith. In more contemporary and modern forms of literature that include films, the determining factors or influence behind fate are more diversified and complex. Beginning primarily in the Victorian Era of literature, social and cultural issues began to be explored and written about. In these less emphasize was placed on "super natural" forces relative to spiritually and faith. Instead social, economic, cultural and governmental systems now became the determining factors and forces behind of fate.
Fate plays itself out in a curious manner during the 1986 film The Mission, which was directed by Roland Joffe. During this film fate plays an important role because it determines the destiny of the characters and ultimately the outcome of the film. As pointed out before if a story is written during or set in earlier times such as the 1700's, it is likely that Christianity determines the fate of the character. The setting of this film is contemporary enough, to be touched by cultural, political and social factors when trying to identify the supernatural forces behind faith. Essentially fate is determined by a combination of strong spiritual, political and social forces that each claims their part in sealing the fate of characters within the film.
Take for example the character of Rodrigo Mendoza in the beginning of the film he is an evil, inconsiderate, murderous and slave trader. He shows no mercy for the indigenous people, he is in essence operating without a conscience. Conventional wisdom and literary and film history tells the viewers of the film that his fate will likely end up being a terrible one. After all, this film is very strongly influenced by the philosophy of Christianity which more or less states that if you are evil and you sin you will be punished, but if you repent you will be redeemed. Contemporary films and story also tell us that many times your spiritual state or good deeds have little to do with your ultimate faith. Both of these notions or theories regarding fate are proven...
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