Such Is Life · Theme

Determinism vs. Free Will

How Such Is Life develops Determinism vs. Free Will.

The narrator repeatedly contrasts theories of cosmic determinism (Original Impress) with individual agency, framing his own unemployment and life events as either predestined or the result of personal choice and 'hitches.'

Where it surfaces

II
Tom muses on the 'linked sins of aggression and submission' and the possibility of breaking free from historical injustices.
Chapter VI
The philosophical discussion of Ormuzd and Ahriman, and the pull between good and evil, reflects on the deterministic forces shaping human behavior.