# Determinism vs. Free Will in Such Is Life

> Theme guide for Such Is Life by Joseph Furphy.

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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/such_is_life_se/chapters/ii): Tom muses on the 'linked sins of aggression and submission' and the possibility of breaking free from historical injustices.
- [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/such_is_life_se/chapters/vi): The philosophical discussion of Ormuzd and Ahriman, and the pull between good and evil, reflects on the deterministic forces shaping human behavior.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/such_is_life_se/themes/determinism_vs_free_will
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/such_is_life_se/themes