TOW #24: The Prince by Machiavelli

            **I totally forgot that the independent reading was supposed to be nonfiction! So instead of continuing on the second portion of the Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, I decided to completely change the book to The Prince by Machiavelli.

            A political theorist and diplomat in the 16^th century, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince in Italy during a time when the nation became the scene of intense political conflict. Composed as a guide for rulers on the basics and understandings on how to govern, he dedicated The Prince to the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de’ Medici. His underlying purpose on this dedication was to win the favor of Lorenzo as he hoped to land an advisory position within the Forentine government. The straightforward tone of the piece laid a stable foundation for the validation of his advices.

When Machiavelli released The Prince in 1532, he received several criticisms and was not as recognized as he is today. As the word of the book spread, Machiavelli’s piece began to be criticized as immoral, evil, and wicked. Some of the critiques included the objection of the Catholics as they interpreted the piece as an attack against the church as Machiavelli degraded the church’s power. The main factor that drove the church to denounce The Prince was Machiavelli’s dislike of strong power of the Catholic church. Many authors, including Machiavelli, lived in a world where Christianity became filled with undesirable religious outlook, causing many to object and dislike the Christianity. This caused Machiavelli to set an anti-Christianity view. His belief established tone of attack toward the church, making the church to set the idea that Machiavelli was indeed attacking the church.

Besides Machiavelli’s tone, the result of weakened Italy was due to the rise of the power for the church. Machiavelli advised that the increasing power of the church brought separation and frail nation, “when in these later times the Imperial control began to be rejected by Italy, and the temporal power of the Pope to be more thought of, Italy suddenly split up into a number of separate States…Hence Italy, having passed almost entirely into the hands of the Church…began to take foreigners into her pay (Machiavelli 96). Machiavelli previously favored princes to rule their nation as nationalized country. But bringing foreigners to one’s nation will, in Machiavelli’s perspective, allowed decline of the country since there was no loyalty existing among the civilians. Not only that, a split nation also causes a nation to be vulnerable against other nations, where there would not be coherent decisions made. When the church took power of Italy, the church divided the nation instead of joining together. Machiavelli, then, indirectly suggested that huge power of the church will only bring destruction toward nations, and in conclusion, princes should not offer such ordeal amount of powers to the church.

Machiavelli’s writing brought great shock toward religious society. People of the church saw his work as an attack, and the mass of believers believed that he was sinful and immoral. It was evident that his work revealed his notion of degrading the church and going against the Catholic moral conducts. People now read this piece academically, but back then, reading this book without any religious pious was difficult.

TOW #23: The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

            Written in the late 1800s of France, a time period often called “Belle Époque” (Lovely Age/Grand Years), “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant explores the human tendency to desire much more than one could afford. This short story specifically revolves around an attractive yet dissatisfied young woman named Mathilde Loisel, who longs for a better change of fate. Mathilde deplores her poverty while her modest husband, Monsieur Loisel, expresses his pleasure at the little things in life. This contrast between the two characters foreshadows the impending conflict.

            Mathilde flaunts extraordinary beauty regardless of her unsatisfying financial status. She is “pretty and charming,” however her life as a wife of a lowly clerk in the Ministry of Education leaves more to be desired. Although she is very aware of her husband’s economic situation, she begs for a large sum of money to buy formalwear for a grand party they’ve both been invited to. As selfless as he is, Monsieur speaks no more and hands over the hard-earned money. Despite this, she craves more, reaching out to her wealthy friend to lend her diamond necklace. This greed eventually results in a tragic mistake: Mathilde loses the luxurious jewels on the way home from the ball. Again, although it was solely Mathilde’s fault, Monsieur searches high and low for the necklace that his wife lost. When they realize that they can never find the necklace, they attempt to buy a similar necklace of the same value, beginning to live a life of crippling poverty. Without complaining, Monsieur faces the dark future that his wife had induced, displaying his unchanging love for Mathilde. They then spend ten years of hardship to pay off their financial debt, Mathilde losing her youthful beauty in the process. She wonders, “What would have happened if she had never lost those jewels? Who knows? Who knows? How strange life is, how fickle! How little is needed to ruin or to save!” Despite the life of struggles that she had commenced for both she and her husband, Mathilde fails to learn from her mistakes. She should be regretting her greed and desire to borrow the jewels in the first place instead of asking herself what would have happened if she hadn’t lost them. Life is not fickle; it is Mathilde who made life seem fickle. At the end, she meets her friend, Madame Forestier, whom she had lost the jewels from. Mathilde learns that the diamond necklace that she had lost was not worth anything; she and her husband spent ten years of their life replacing a necklace that was only fraction of what they paid off. 

TOW #22: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

            If I do recall correctly, the last time I read “The Lottery” By Shirley Jackson was in middle school. Back then, I remember that this short story made a lasting impression on the thirteen-year-old me. Even from the title, the plot line is inferred to be positive. This remains true until the climax builds up and tension rises. Then, the rising action comes crashing down, leading its string of unfortunate events. Then, I came to a realization that the unexpected conclusion was actually hinted at all along.

            The introduction of this piece begins in a very light tone, narrating that the morning of the lottery was “clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” In the midst of the positive mood, a strange act occurs with the children. The narration continues, including the detail that “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones” and “made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys.” The initial thought of this behavior is taken lightly as it is merely seen as “kids play” However, as the tension rises and the situation becomes more serious, the reader begins to sense the pending severity of the event. Then, when the lottery is chosen, “the children had stones already” and “they were upon” Mrs. Hutchinson, the unfortunate lottery “winner.” The gradual shift of mood and event is indicative of Jackson’s style in her short story, which enhances the unexpectedness and adds an element of surprise. 

TOW #21: The Death of the Gravedigger by Carlos Schwabe

            I actually came across this painting quite some time ago when I was momentarily infatuated with artworks from the late 19^th century. During this time period, the rise of many different types of art styles was prevalent, including realism, impressionism, and pictorialism. Symbolism was also a significant contributor to the characteristic of the artworks of that era. The Death of the Gravedigger by Carolos Schwabe utilizes the aspect of contradicting colors, posture, and irony to portray an array of emotions intertwined with his piece.

            With just a rough scan of the scene, the dark figure against a white background can be effortlessly seen. It can be assumed that the author wanted to draw more attention towards the relationship between the two characters rather than the setting. However, the environment cannot be easily overlooked. The snow in the background may symbolize that the winter of the gravedigger’s life has come: death. By the tension and the position of his hands, it is revealed that the gravedigger is caught off-guard at the presence of the dark angel. The winged figure symbolizes death, but unlike the connotation behind death, the facial expression as well as the beautiful pose of the dark angel exposes her calmness. Her dark wings encasing the man enhances this serenity. Despite the uncommon technique to connect death with angels and beauty, the author’s decision to do so speaks volumes of his innovativeness. In addition, I thought it was very interesting how the gravedigger is already in the grave despite his apparent aliveness. This means that he, knowing that he will die soon, dug his own grave. The gravedigger, a phallic figure, side a grave hole, a yonic symbol, seems to intermingle casually in this piece which is also indicative of the author’s tendency to integrate two unlikely things. 

TOW #20: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut

            Intrigued due to my previous knowledge of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, his earlier work “Harrison Bergeron” naturally became my next victim of analysis. When I read the brief summary of this piece, I was immediately drawn towards the characters and the dystopian setting they were put under. Taking place in the year 2081, society is now obligated to be exactly equal; one must wear weights to counteract their good strength, wear grotesque masks to cover their good looks, and attempt to change their voice to disguise their appealing voices in order to level out their talents to the average public. This concept was a possibility that I never concerned myself with which ultimately drew my interest in the short story.

Handicapped Ballerina

            The theme present in the plot is that absolute equality is not an ideal worth sacrificing individual rights for. To execute this unjust and unreasonable utopia, the government ran by the Handicapper General tortures its citizens. Although as a reader, this concept would seem outrageous, but for the public who has endured such laws for a good amount of time, the insistence of total equality has seeped and internalized within them. Others who are unsatisfied with the struggles they have to bear can neither complain nor make a change in fear of the return of the “dark ages,” filled with competition and inequality. In this setting, Harrison Bergeron symbolizes bravery and resistance to injustice. He signifies revolution and defiance that still exists in the American public. He displays none of the cowardice and passivity that most have given into. Although his rebellion is admirable, he is assassinated by Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General. The murder of individuality and healthy competition is symbolized in the last scene of Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron.”

TOW #19: To Build a Fire by Jack London

            Jack London is one of my favorite novelist, first captivating my interest through his novel, White Fang. 19^th century American author and journalist Jack London was who came to mind when pondering about what short story to analyze. After looking through some of his works, I came across a short 16-page story, “To Build a Fire.” In short, the naturalist short story focuses on a traveling man and his husky in the Yukon who has planned to meet his friends later on in the evening. While reading, the character development and the transition from confidence to frantic fear grasped by attention throughout the story.

            At first when he begins his journey on an extremely cold morning, the man exerted great confidence and certainty that he would be able to cross the snowy tundra without a companion. Although he was warned by an old man of Sulphur Creek that “no man should travel alone in that country after 50 below zero,” but he had underestimated the harsh conditions of the environment, calling the other travelers “womanish.” However, when the man fails to create a fire, symbolizing life, multiple times, he begins to panic. As he loses control, he considers killing his wolf-dog to gain warmth from the fresh blood. The transition from calm boldness to hysteria is depicted clearly through the man’s changing behavior and actions. The fire in the plot symbolizes life and survival, drawing the conflict between man versus nature and the need for fire to make that victory. In the end (spoiler alert!), as the man had continuously failed at his attempts to create fire, he had perished in the snow.

TOW #18: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Although I have read The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin previously, I was only in the fifth grade at the time. Despite my faded memory of the plot, I recall good memories of being read this book. From what I remember, this is a mystery novel, following the lives of sixteen people who are all tenants in the Sunset Towers. If I do recall correctly, there is a will to be shared; the catch is that the pair who solves the mystery (I don’t remember) inherits the entire fortune.

            Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game is unlike any other book that I have read. As I am not an ardent fan in the realm of mystery novels, I have very rudimentary knowledge on the genre. However, the unexpected aspect of the plot keeps me on my toes, anxious to continue. So far in The Westing Game, only the development of the setting and character’s background has been introduced. Although it is a short novel, keeping up with the lives of sixteen tenants is not as hard as I has expected, thanks to Raskin’s detailed characterization of each member. Everyone’s identity is distinct which makes the story even the more interesting as you get to see how each character contributes to the story as a whole. In addition, identity plays a significant role is the plot as through the Westing game, each character is establishing their own identities. Through the durance of the game, they begin to redefine themselves and realize their true “identity.” The message behind this story so far is probably to figure out who they really are.