Oh, what a bumper sticker can provoke!

            Gandhi once said, “Remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.”  When I read this quote on a bumper sticker the other day, I thought about it.  Does good always triumph over evil (like the fairy tales foretell)?  At first I would say no, otherwise why else would there be agony, suffering, and misfortune.  Then my “glass is half full” side would bark up: but what of compassion, integrity, and the success of this nation and others through perilous tyrants and dictators.  In the end, Rasheed was beaten and killed with the vengeance of all of his sins thrown upon him.  Dorian was engulfed by his indulgences, crimes, and actions in one single moment of unthinkable anguish.  Did not “good” conquer in the end?

            But where is “good?”  Yes, we can conclude that evil deeds did seek their consequence throughout Dorian’s torturous demise, but what of good?  Did Basil spring from the grave and live again?  Did Sybil’s heart adhere at last?  Could James’ fears be comforted?  No.  Where is the presence of good?  There is an evident infestation of evil, but its counterpart is notoriously absent.  There is evil and there is not…Dash “good and evil” and inscribe “not and evil!” 

That insignificant sliver in time when Dorian is afflicted with the onslaught of all of his despicable deeds does not seem justifiable.  One fraction of a second of absolute agony in place of a lifetime of suffering does not signify love surpassing evil.  However, truth sought its payment, but the consequences of such evil seem so minute for a lifetime of disdainful behavior.  I just can’t wrap my head around it.  Dorian is a heart breaker, a murderer, a liar, self-absorbed; he practically wrote the seven deadly sins. 

            Tyrants and murderers always fall, proclaims Gandhi?  Well, let us delve into the history books!  Hitler, he is well known enough I believe, is the face of genocide, malevolence, and wickedness!  But to himself perhaps he did not recognize himself as a tyrant, but rather a saint.  And who conquered Hitler?  The United States played a major role but what are we other than the lesser of two evils.  Our past is littered with shameful deeds as much as any others. 

            On a miniscule level, think of the countless murderers, thieves, and liars who have acted in every sense of iniquity that have died in the prime of their old age, peacefully composed in their beds.  What triumph has overcome them other than mortality itself?  However, I don’t wish to delve into the controversies of religion at this point.

            Me?  Well I am but a hopeless sap to fairy tales and will forever put my faith in “good” valiantly conquering “evil.”  Occasionally, I enjoy playing the “devil’s advocate” for the sake of conversation and debate.  I am a desperate slave to hope.  But, you know what they say…”Hope is the worst of all evils, for it prolongs the torment of man.”-Fredrick Nietzsche

Truth and Grievance

Oscar Wilde once said, “I put all my genius into my life, I put only my talent into my works.”  He, like Virginia Woolf has a singular vision of unbiased writing.  They believe that the quintessential piece of literature is derived from truth and is written without resentment.  A work of literature without an opinion is their golden apple.  Virginia Woolf adamantly expressed this within her essay “A Room of One’s Own.”  Her collective idea of writing with integrity exhibited complete ignorance of the grievances in one’s life.  She made various references to the imaginary Ms. Carmichael’s style of writing.  Not once did Carmichael incorporate the spurns within her own life, but rather present the possibility of a tale without opinionated interjection.  So Woolf derives that importance lies in not how we write, but in truth and separation from personal criticism. 

Within our lives, we are expected to contend numerous aspects without biases but what Woolf fails to recognize is her own digression from human character.  Scientifically, an individual formulates an opinion about someone or something within the first fourteen seconds of being in its presence.  With this fact muddled in the back of our minds, how can we separate literature from opinion?  We must stand for something when writing, otherwise what is the purpose for writing at all?  Woolf deviates from her own theory in various cases.  Take “A Room of One’s Own” for example.  Every word is wrapped around a profound opinion.  The stream of consciousness that she so strongly asserts is by nature accustom to opinion and bias.  John Jakes asserted, “Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”  Sometimes our grievances define who we are and how we came to be.  Could Woolf not have developed her literature if she had not been exposed and subjected to the very controversies she assesses?  I agree with Woolf that our writing should express a greater purpose than our opinion, and should not be crippled by the occurrences in our own lives, but I also feel it is important to recognize the aspects that affect our writing, and in some cases it is important that they shine through.  I ascertain this only for the literature that has so greatly affected me through the suffering that has so immensely affected those who literature is derived from.  Without grievances, incredible stories, such as A Thousand Splendid Suns, could never have been developed. 

"Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact."-Honore de Balzac

Men and women alike, have never been, are not, and will never be equal.  Disregarding the suppositions about racial segregation, religious beliefs, gender, and various other controversial equality topics, allow me to focus on the primitive subject of man himself.  We may lay claim that we are as important or equally influential to society as our neighbor, believe me I have once felt so myself, but I, you, we, and everyone else are misled.  

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the quintessential example of a complete mockery of equality.  On the surface we can all agree that man and woman's rights differed from equivalence on the most basic principles of life, such as law.  But law is not what I am referring to.  My raid against equality is limited to the specific integrity, personal strength, and value of the individual.  Centuries of consistent mistakes have led us to accept that there is good and evil in everyone.  But what if the cups were unbalanced?  What if some deserved more than others?  What if we could condone the death of one and stake revenge for the slaying of another?  Abraham Lincoln once said, "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal," but Lincoln lived quite a different life than the individuals of this world today. 

Before you stake your disagreement with me right away, observe the evidence.  During the course of reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, conceptions began to spring within my mind, some disturbingly hostile towards the cruel and unusual tendencies of the creatures of this world.  When individuals state proudly that all men are created equal, picture in your head Laila and Rasheed.  Are they created equally?  Rasheed brutally beats his wives because of his distaste in minor aspects of his lifestyle.  Resentful of uncontrollable facts, Rasheed takes vengeance in a violent and inconceivable manner.  Laila, on the other hand, stands in her husband’s face and states his faults, cowardice tendencies, and unjust behavior.  She looks him in the eye and mocks his cruelty.  He hits, she hits back.  The strength within Laila’s character exceeds Rasheed’s tenfold. 

Some will claim justification for the actions of others.  The way an individual is raised affects their character.  It does not have to.   Some are just stronger than others, perhaps not physically, but mentally, emotionally.  Take Mariam for example.  She was raised to believe she was a bastard child, an unwanted child.  Her mother consistently reminded her of the hardships she had caused and the shame of her existence.  Even after Mariam is dejected by her father, she still maintains a sense of self strength, love, and power.  She is a different person, a better person than those around her.  She cannot be compared with Jalil, Rasheed, or even Laila.  In the end, Mariam had the strength and courage to face the unfairness of law as she offered herself to the Taliban for the murder of Rasheed.  Despite the tears and indecencies of the “bravest” men, Mariam faced her death with pride and acceptance.  She was unlike other people.  She was not equal. 

Everyone has choices no matter what the circumstances are.  Different choices lead to a different class of human.  Take My Lai for example.  Dozens of Vietnamese citizens, who were unarmed, were massacred over the course of a day.  Many argued that the mental conditions of the American soldiers caused their actions.  It is a primitive instinct to defend oneself.  Is it a primitive instinct to rape?  To desecrate?  To torture?  A group of American soldiers utilized their helicopter to attempt to air lift some of the Vietnamese citizens to safety.  They aimed at their own crazed brothers in an attempt to protect the innocent.  Is this not what Mariam did?  Would you equalize a hero with a rapist?  A slaughterer?  Some men are stronger than others and can make difficult decisions.  They are not equal.

Allow me to present a proposition that contradicts our existence.  For some people, the wrath of years of injustice is acceptable.  How many actually felt pity for Rasheed when he was killed?  How many rather felt relieved?  I will not lie, I smiled.  The only regret I mustered within me was for the child that so dotingly loved him.  But even he forgot his father. 

Some individuals are a different class of people.  Whether it is our right to define them, I take no claim.  I do, however, believe that we are not created equally, and A Thousand Splendid Suns is evidence to justify my assertion.    

“Virtue can only flourish among equals.”-Mary Wollstonecraft

It’s a shame immorality reigns our world.