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John Brown’s Body · Theme
Fate and Human Agency
How John Brown’s Body develops Fate and Human Agency.
The narrative frequently reflects on the tension between divine will, historical inevitability, and individual choice, as characters like Lincoln grapple with their roles in a conflict that seems both chosen and fated.
Where it surfaces
- Book III
Ellyat's helplessness and the randomness of his escape highlight the interplay of fate and individual action.
- Book V
Lincoln's meditation on the unfathomable nature of God's will versus his own determined actions to save the Union reflects the tension between divine providence and human effort.