Independent Study Novels

This summer I read Kite Runner, and suffering is very apparent in the novel. Amir suffers from his remembrance of his treatment of Hassan. His suffering, too, comes from his own actions. Though he viably probably could not stop the rape of his dear friend, he could have stood up for him after, or even just been a decent friend. His suffering ultimately comes from his inability to stop these actions, and his inability to deal with what he saw. He isolates himself from Hassan, and by denying his most important relationship, he suffers from his past, wondering how his life may have turned out if he had done something different.

I later read A Clockwork Orange, in which, Alex, the protagonist suffers from his own actions. Though he feels no remorse, he is caught by the authorities, and is punished severely through the use of Ludovico's treatment. He does suffer, also, from an aspect of his past, when he is taken in by the man whom Alex ruined his life. Alex raped his wife before he was caught, and as the man begins to realize that this indeed is the boy who committed the terrible act, he uses Alex's newly acquired weaknesses to show the harm of Ludovico's treatment. Alex suffers physically from this man's avengement of his wife's rape.

Currently, I am reading The Cry of the Dove, in which a young Bedouin woman is ultimately made to seek asylum from her tribe in England, after she had sex out of wedlock. She suffers from following her own desires, and now she must deal with the fact that she must completely abandon her old life, family and friends.

Crime and Punishment

In C&P, Raskolnikov suffers through his own creation of his pain. By murdering the two women, he creates a guilt that turns into his suffering, causing his mind to deteriorate. His suffering is created mostly by himself, but also by social expectation, (it is not acceptable to murder two people and not expect punishment). He ultimately creates his suffering in his mind, and throughout most of the novel, he is not punished by outside sources, rather just by himself. His guilt becomes more apparent to others, however, as he suffers from his own disapproval of himself. As this guilt is made clear, he suffers from the punishment he must endure brought on by society (ie. police, law).

Henry IV

In Henry IV, there appears to not be very much suffering. However, I think that the troops led by Falstaff suffer, and I think the reason is because sometimes, others determine if and how you suffer. They seemingly didn't choose to fight, and by wasting his army just to have some people in it, he chooses that they should die, so I think sometimes suffering does not come from one's own vices, it comes from other people as well.

Oedipus Rex

In Oedipus, it appears that he suffers to be noble, and save others. By stabbing his eyes, and exiling himself, he rids his kindgom of the poverty they had been going through. He sacrifices himself for the greater good of his society, perhaps showing that people suffer because some people are meant to save others?

Ghosts

If I were to write about how Ghosts applies to my big question, I would use either Oswald or Mrs. Alving as an example of human suffering. I think I would use Mrs. Alving because she seems to be the better person, so her suffering seems more unjust than Oswald's, because she has to see her son suffer and endured suffering when she was married.
I think Mrs. Alving's suffering is a means to show her true capacity, meaning that since she seems consumed by these sorrows at the end of the book, her emotional stength is tested, and she appears to fail. Maybe suffering serves to show a person how strong they are emotionally??

My Big Question

Why do people suffer? I think this will be a good question because I feel like all of the books we have read, and all of the books I have read individually really apply to this topic. I also think this is a question where I can reach some sort of conclusion.