Short Fiction · Question
How does Short Fiction develop the theme of Fate and Free Will?
Answer
Short Fiction by Herman Melville develops Fate and Free Will across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Characters seem caught in predetermined courses—Billy's tragic end, Bartleby's mysterious decline—raising questions about whether their fates are the result of their own choices or of inexorable forces beyond their control, such as social systems or inherent nature.
The tortoises' 'self-condemned' appearance and the superstition of wicked officers being transformed suggest a fate imposed by past actions, while the islands' unchanging nature implies a predetermined doom.
Hunilla's survival and rescue are portrayed as a narrow chance, with a mysterious presentiment guiding her to the ship just in time.
The uncle's struggle against the 'universal current into oblivion' and his eventual acceptance of failure explore the interplay between human effort and inevitable fate.
Evidence in the book
- Sketch First: The Isles at Large
The tortoises' 'self-condemned' appearance and the superstition of wicked officers being transformed suggest a fate imposed by past actions, while the islands' unchanging nature implies a predetermined doom.
- Sketch Eighth: Norfolk Isle and the Chola Widow
Hunilla's survival and rescue are portrayed as a narrow chance, with a mysterious presentiment guiding her to the ship just in time.
- The Happy Failure
The uncle's struggle against the 'universal current into oblivion' and his eventual acceptance of failure explore the interplay between human effort and inevitable fate.
- The Lightning-Rod Man
The narrator asserts his free will and trust in divine providence ('the hairs of our heads are numbered'), rejecting the salesman's deterministic fear of lightning.
- The Fiddler
Hautboy's fall from fame and his subsequent cheerful acceptance of his reduced circumstances raise questions about destiny, choice, and the nature of happiness.
- The Bell-Tower
The narrative explores the tension between Bannadonna's ambitious free will and the seemingly fated, catastrophic outcome of his creation, as hinted by the mysterious sounds and the eventual tragedy.
- I: (An Inside Narrative)
Billy's fatalistic acceptance of his impressment and his lack of agency highlight the tension between destiny and personal choice.
- IV
Nelson's deliberate choice to display himself in battle, courting death, raises questions about fate versus personal agency.
