The Winner Is . . .
Everybody likes to think of herself/himself as a winner of sorts. The idea of victory can be completely intoxicating, however, even those who are victorious, may continue to remain plagued. As I was writing a book review, the thought surfaced regarding the question, which book have I read that has impacted my life the most. The answer is easy, although the reasoning not so much so.
For me, Frank Kafka's THE TRIAL is the victor hands down. Each year, I re-read this masterpiece, learning more and more about the life and times of Josef K, the narrator of this provocative novel. Putting aside the issues of whether the experiences of Josef K. are the result of a dream or the inequalitities of our legal system, the arrest and subsequent events leading up to the death of K. speak strongly to me. Here you have a man, K., who is so self-absorbed, he manipulates those around him, has difficulty relating in a loving way to his family and friends, and consequently, causes his own demise.
The lessons of K. keep my own emotions in check and balance. When I feel my own ego is interfering with how I think or act, if I am becoming manipulative in anyway, I remember what happened to K. He was arrested, told he was free to go, but became a victim of his own ego, and a prisioner of his own making, which in the end, caused him to die.
Which book have you read that has impacted your life in some unique, challenging manner?
Thank you for your mind.
For me, Frank Kafka's THE TRIAL is the victor hands down. Each year, I re-read this masterpiece, learning more and more about the life and times of Josef K, the narrator of this provocative novel. Putting aside the issues of whether the experiences of Josef K. are the result of a dream or the inequalitities of our legal system, the arrest and subsequent events leading up to the death of K. speak strongly to me. Here you have a man, K., who is so self-absorbed, he manipulates those around him, has difficulty relating in a loving way to his family and friends, and consequently, causes his own demise.
The lessons of K. keep my own emotions in check and balance. When I feel my own ego is interfering with how I think or act, if I am becoming manipulative in anyway, I remember what happened to K. He was arrested, told he was free to go, but became a victim of his own ego, and a prisioner of his own making, which in the end, caused him to die.
Which book have you read that has impacted your life in some unique, challenging manner?
Thank you for your mind.
6 Comments:
Hi B. One of my perennial faves is To Kill a Mockingbird. As a child I identified with Scout. As an adult I identify with Atticus Finch, the lawyer assigned to defend an innocent African-American man accused of rape. At one point in the book he is asked why he chooses to fight a battle he knows he will lose. He answers something to the effect that it's essential to do what you believe is right, even when you know the odds are against you and you are destined to lose. That lesson has stuck with me for a long time.
So good to see you, K.
Yes, Atticus Fich was a remarkable role model, and the lesson you set forth is one worth remembering.
It reminds me of a childhood favorite book of mine, The Heart is A Lonley Hunter, and learning to accept others for who and what they are, even when faced with horrible adversity. These sentiments are also echoed in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. One can never be too prepared to receive this lesson and message.
Hello Barbara,
First time visitor here. You stopped by my blog today and offered your support for the ALS charity work I'm doing. I just wanted to say thank you. Bookmark us and stop back if you enjoyed any of the posts. We talk about everything from politics to sports to spiritual matters to whatever I found of note in the news that day.
Interesting blog you have here. In response to your current topic, I would offer Anthony DeMello's Awareness and Khalil Gibran's The Prophet. Both are spiritual works with a powerful mystical element that utterly transcend sect or denomination. Actually, the latter is so ritual-neutral that it's impossible to tell whether Gibran is a Christian or Muslim (he was from Lebanon, so good chance of either). Both have made a tremendous impact on my outlook.
Perhaps I'll check the Kafka title out of the library.
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale will always be in my memory as a reminder that freedom for women has not always been a universal principle ... and for too many women today is still not a reality. It is a reminder to fight for internal freedom, too. To break away from destructive self-definition that can be just as damaging as any societal constraints.
Just flying in to say, what an interesting blog, Barbara! I'm very glad you found my place because I got to visit yours. Your questions for discussion are indeed stirring.
This question you ask, about books which impacted us most, I love. I'm a book-person. I love them, I love to buy them, to own them, to stack them, and of course, read them. I would have to say, the book which influenced me the most was Faulkner's, The Sound and the Fury. I read it in 11th grade and it was the cryptic language, the stream of consciousness, the fascinating tale, which opened the door to a love of literature. I was always a reader, but I read for story. After Sound, I read for language, for the way a story was told. That book sits on a shelf in my room and every so often I open it and read and remember that door opening.
Last year I read
Journey From The Land of No: A Girlhood caught in Revolutionary Iran by Roya Hakakian as part of Elle Magazine's reader's panel. Before then I knew little to nothing of Iran or it's history. I had no idea that outside of Israel, that Iran once had the largest Jewish population. I knew nothing about the rights that women once had in Iran and how they were ripped away. I remember going out to dinner with my parents after I had read the book and asking them so many questions of what they remembered of the news then. I was forever haunted by that book, I too mourned for Iran.
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