Discovering Truth through Reading Fiction

…great literature searches the human heart to find in it the laws of moral existence, distinguishing man from beast.
--Russell Kirk,“The Moral Imagination.”

Humanism is an ethical discipline, intended to develop the truly human person, the qualities of manliness, through the study of great books.
-- Irving Babbitt, “Literature and the American College”

Great literature captures the essence of morality and teaches us what it means to be genuinely human. It places its’ characters at the crossroads of right and wrong, and visually depicts their struggle between the opposing forces of good and evil. As readers, we find ourselves transported into the story, challenged to make sense of the strange new world and the emphatic moral choices presented to its characters. These characters cause us to face truths about ourselves, both ugly and beautiful, and compel us to consider what decisions we would make if confronted with the same situations.

A wonderful example is the Divine Comedy, an epic poem written at the beginning of the 14th century by the exiled Florentine poet, Dante Alighieri, and is considered by most to be a cornerstone of the Western didactic imagination. The epic poem is the story of Dante’s journey through the three realms of the afterlife, each depicted in a separate cantica: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

In the first Canto of the Inferno, Dante establishes the archetypal allegorical situation of the erring pilgrim in a metaphor that resonates throughout Western literature. The poet, now middle-aged, finds himself in a dark forest, where the way ahead is unclear. Pursued by the beast of sin, Dante is rescued by Virgil, the epic poet of imperial Rome. So begins his journey through the underworld.

Dante’s pilgrimage compels us to face the many different kinds of evil within ourselves and the sinister reality of dreadful punishment consequent of our sins. Through his remarkable ability to create clear visual images in the reader’s mind, Dante paints a picture that enables us to see in our mind the punishment of Hell. The reader of Inferno can almost feel the heavy weight of his -- or her -- own sins and the dark reality of their consequences as Virgil leads Dante through the gates of Hell, where he sees the entrance marked with the haunting inscription: “Abandon all hope, you who enter here.” Thereafter, Dante descends through nine concentric circles, each representing an increase in evilness, culminating at the center of the earth, where Satan is frozen in ice. However, Dante’s dark trek through Hell ends with a glimpse of the Paradiso to come. Dante writes:

“We climbed, [Virgil] first and I behind, until,
Through a small round
opening ahead of us
I saw the lovely things the heavens hold
And we came
out to see the stars once more.”(Inferno 136-139)

After surviving the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the Inferno and into Purgatorio, the second realm of the Catholic afterlife. Once Dante has been completely purged of his sins in Purgatorio, he makes his final accession into Paradiso, now guided by Beatrice, the ideal woman first described by Dante in La Vita Nuova, and who, it is revealed, has interceded, with vigilant prayer, to save Dante; setting him on his corrective path through the afterlife.

From beginning to end, the Divine Comedy symbolizes the spiritual quest of human life, a quest rendered necessary by most all human beings. As with all great literature, any reader of Dante will discover more of what it means to be human.

Over 300 years after Dante wrote the Divine Comedy, a Puritan English poet named John Milton wrote a theologically-themed and vastly influential poem titled Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost is the story of the Fall of Man from Eden. The poem tells the drama of Adam and Eve’s decline from dignity and happiness to shame and selfishness. Milton teaches his readers, “the central drama of human life is temptation, and the best kind of heroism is patient resistance to it.” (Kantor 93) Milton also teaches his readers, as did Dante, that there is forgiveness and redemption for those who have gone astray. This is clear in the last lines of “Paradise Lost” when Milton writes:

“By name to come called Charity, the soul
Of all the rest: then will you not
be loath
To leave this Paradise, but shall possess
A Paradise within
you, happier far” (12.584-87)

Adam and Eve can still lead a fruitful life, though fallen from grace and cast out of Paradise. Exercise of the basic Christian tenets, and ultimately Charity, will allow them to create an inner Paradise.

The themes expressed in Paradise Lost, i.e., temptation, obedience, and forgiveness, still have implications for all who read this epic poem today. Milton, like Dante and all of the greatest literary authors, have much to teach us about the complexity of humanity.

After Dante and before Milton, there was William Shakespeare, an English poet and playwright, who is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare’s universal appeal stems from the manner in which his writing reflects human nature in a way unique to all other literature. Most importantly, Shakespeare teaches us, his readers, that there is in fact such a thing as human nature. “Shakespeare’s characters don’t just talk about things, they define them.” (Kantor 64) Whether it is spite, envy, revenge, generosity, greed, humility, love, or death, there is a Shakespearean character that incarnates that human quality. From his tragedies, such as Hamlet and King Lear, to his comedies such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing, and onto his sonnets, Shakespeare depicts the immense variety and complexity of human nature and the human experience.

Alexander Pope, considered the greatest English poet of the eighteenth century, contended that, Shakespeare’s “…characters are so much of nature herself…every single character in Shakespeare is as much an individual as those in life itself…” Through his complex characters we reach the heights and depths of the human soul. Shakespeare, more than any other author of notable literature, has a great deal to teach his readers about what it means to be genuinely human.

Whereas Dante, Milton, and Shakespeare’s characters teach their readers lessons about humanity, in Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote, it is an excessive imaginative investment in literature that leads the principal character astray. The novel is the story of an old country man living in the town of La Mancha. He becomes obsessed with the books about chivalry, believing every word of them to be true. Quixote eventually appears to have lost his mind when he decides to go out as a knight-errant in search of adventure. He creates makeshift armor, changes his name to Don Quixote de la Mancha, and transforms a peasant girl, Dulcinea del Toboso, into his ideal woman. He calls her his ladylove and claims his adventures are in her honor. Throughout his escapades, Quixote’s delusions become stronger. He believes a run-down inn is a castle, and he even attacks windmills, which he believes to be ferocious giants. The townspeople begin to poke fun at Quixote and take advantage of his delusional state of mind. The novel ends with Don Quixote's complete disillusionment, and his melancholic return to sanity and renunciation of chivalry, and finally, his death.

Don Quixote depicts an exaggerated example of how literature can be a powerful force in guiding its readers’ lives. Books and manuscripts appear everywhere in Don Quixote, symbolizing the importance and influence of fiction and literature in everyday life. By reading Don Quixote, we see that literature can provide an imaginative outlet for characters with otherwise dull lives. On a deeper level, all readers can sympathize with Don Quixote, even in his delusional state. Quixote symbolizes the human being’s longing for that unique, creative, noble kind of human freedom that the world regards as foolishness. Not only was Don Quixote greatly influenced by reading literature, but we, too, can be greatly influenced by the deeper meanings found in reading Don Quixote. Miguel de Cervantes’ novel is another great piece of literary art that teaches us so much about the nature of the human being.

While Don Quixote is a fictional account, C.S. Lewis is a real life example of how reading great literature, more than any other discipline, can teach you about the human experience. C.S. Lewis, the most influential Christian author of modern times, claims that reading fiction was the primary force behind his conversion to Christianity. In reading poets and novelists, Lewis found meaning, dignity, morality, and immortality. Lewis loved to read about other worlds. He once wrote: “In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.” After some time, through his imagination, Lewis found his key to reality: Christianity.

Literature teaches us, through stories, those things that every human ought to know. It teaches us that there is virtue and vice, and that they are opposites. Literature teaches us, through imagination and written words, everything about what it means to be genuinely human. From the most primitive prehistoric ages, to today’s world of technology, the art of story telling will not go away. From Gilgamesh to Flannery O’ Connor, humans have been learning about life through literature. We, the readers, should allow these stories to search our hearts and find the laws of moral existence written within us. In doing so, we will discover what it means to be truly human; and we will find that the reading of great literature prompt us, as it did G.K. Chesterton, to consider that the most remarkable story of all, the story of humanity itself, must also have a Story-teller.

Q:) What makes human material a person?

This post's title was a question I had on my recent exam in ethics class. I received an F for my response. I don't think it was deserving of such a grade. I'll let you be the judge. This was my answer:

A:)When determining what qualifies human material as a person, I think a logical place to begin is by considering what makes human material different from all other materials.

From what our human minds can perceive, it appears that humans are the only species that possess the ability to reason, to wonder, and to aspire. Humans are the only species to have such a vast vocabulary, such complex grammar, and the ability to have deep and meaningful conversations about topics, such as their origin and their destiny. Humans are the only creatures to establish religions, have a refined aesthetic sense, and a vivid imagination.

Although it cannot be proven that these qualities are exclusive to the human species, it can be confidently assumed, based on simple observation and scientific studies dating as far back as humans can account. Every influential philosopher has asserted or assumed that the human species' ability to reason does, in some regard, set it above all others. Furthermore, this ability to reason is often the element claimed to give the human species its personhood.

It should be noted that nothing I have written thus far about human values is based on any religious belief; rather, I have assumed no creator. However, when examining what makes human material a person, you will find yourself in quite a pickle if you try to dig too deep into the question without attributing some sort of creator to the human species. Let me explain.

If a human, whether because of old age or mental retardation, loses or does not possess the traits I described earlier as being exclusive to the human species, you must then explain why—or why not—that human is a person. If they cannot reason, cannot communicate in any meaningful way and/or have no ability to imagine or wonder, then are they still considered as being a person? Unless one ascribes a creator to the human species, a creator who places within each human an intrinsic value, then you are going to experience quite some difficulty making a case for why a mentally retarded paraplegic is indeed a person. Of course, it is possible that such an individual is not a person, and such an assumption might make sense. However, if you do believe that a mentally retarded paraplegic, who is in no other way discernable from an animal by way of intellect or physical capabilities, is still a person, then you must believe that humans have an intrinsic value that transcends any detectable trait or quality. It follows that one must believe that humans are endowed by a creator with an inherent value, and this is what qualifies human material as a person.

The Immortal Virtues of the War Hero

Old English literature is replete with themes of bravery and heroism during times of war; and to those who exhibited these virtues was inscribed the highest respect and gratitude. Beowulf and the Battle of Maldon are two famous Old English masterpieces that emphasize these themes.

The poem, Beowulf, begins when the Danish king, Hrothgar, experiences trouble in his kingdom because of a monster named Grendel, who invades his mead hall and kills his people. From across the sea, a brave Geat named Beowulf hears of the monster menacing the Danes and rushes to their aid. He arrives and prepares immediately to fight Grendel. When Grendel finally appears, the monster kills one of Beowulf's men. But when Grendel reaches out to eat Beowulf, he grabs the monster's arm and rips it off. Grendel flees, leaving behind a long trail of blood, and Beowulf and his men rejoice knowing Grendel is dead. Later that night, however, Grendel's mother comes to the mead hall to avenge her son's death. Learning of this, Beowulf sets out to find and kill her. After Beowulf slays Grendel's mother, Hrothgar is ecstatic and bestows gifts upon Beowulf and his men. Fifty years later, when Beowulf is king of the Danes, a dragon begins terrorizing his people. At the end of the poem, Beowulf kills that dragon but ultimately dies in the battle; leaving behind a legacy of the ultimate bravery and heroism. (Beowulf)

Old English literature teaches that war heroes always deserve respect and gratitude. Beowulf, which is often considered the greatest of all the Old English masterpieces, is, above all, a long hymn of praise for the warrior. J. R. R. Tolkien, a famous Old English literature scholar, goes so far as to claim that, "Beowulf is a heroic elegy, in which the first 3,000-plus lines are merely a prelude to Beowulf's funeral dirge." In Old English times, a man was defined by his valor in battle. Possessing a high level of courage in battle is what deemed him a hero and, consequently, deserving of respect and gratitude.

However, the war heroes of Old English literature were not admired only because of their bravery but also because their service was critical for the survival of the country. In Beowulf’s time, brave warriors were needed to protect one Germanic tribe from another. Furthermore, it was understood that if Beowulf had not risked his life to kill Grendel and his mother, then the two monsters would have killed many more people. The same holds true today. Valiant military men and women are still necessary to ensure our nation’s freedom. For having the courage to answer this call, they too deserve the respect and gratitude of every American.

In Old English literature, the war hero respected his enemy. In Beowulf, for example, Beowulf did not consider his enemy, the Heathobards, as bad men; rather, he thought of them as greathearted warriors. Beowulf understood and respected the fact that the Heathobards were too prideful to forego a chance at battle. In the culture of the time, being a war hero meant that you had the gusto to fight; it didn’t matter whose side you were fighting on. Elizabeth Kantor, an English PhD and the editor of the Conservative Book Club, writes:

“There were many men living in the heroic-age culture who didn't easily take offense, who didn't consider revenge a duty, and who didn't think their reputations were worth defending with their lives: they were known as slaves.”

According to Old English literature, the dignity and worth of a man was based upon his valor in battle.

However, there have always been those members of society who shun the war hero and do not believe that he—or she—deserves either respect or gratitude. In Beowulf's time, there was Unferth, a Thyle, who, out of envy, mocked Beowulf and questioned the authenticity of Beowulf’s alleged acts of heroism. Unferth's underlying motivation for attacking Beowulf was envy, which may be the same underlying motivation among many modern liberal intellectuals who snub today's soldiers and claim that their lives are spent in vain. However, the majority of those who lived in Old English times believed steadfastly that all war heroes deserved respect and gratitude and that too should hold true today.

Another epic Old English poem, The Battle of Maldon, tells the story of a battle between the English and the Vikings. Byrhtnoth, the Earl of Essex, orders his men into battle after refusing to accept the Vikings’ peace offers. The Vikings then ask Byrhtnoth if he would allow them to cross a narrow ford without being attacked so that the battle could be held more fairly on the mainland. The poet explains that because of Byrhtnoth's excessive pride, he agrees to the Vikings’ request. In the end, this poor decision led to the deaths of Byrhtnoth and his men at the hands of the Vikings. After Byrhtnoth's death, some of the English soldiers fled; but others, despite their leader's poor decision, remained true to the vows they made to their lord and pursued the battle until it ended. (The Battle of Maldon)

Old English literature also informs us that the war hero should be admired even if his death is caused by a mistake. In the Battle of Maldon, the English soldiers died because of their leader's poor decision based on his pride. Yet, the author never implies that this diminishes the warriors' heroism. I believe the Iraq War could be likened to the Battle of Maldon. Although many believe it was a mistake to invade Iraq, this certainly does not diminish the heroism displayed daily by the soldiers fighting in that war. Clearly, the author of The Battle of Maldon would unequivocally deem Iraq War veterans worthy of respect and gratitude.

Old English Literature teaches that the war hero always deserves respect and gratitude, and this virtue should still ring true today. We should all strive to be like the Old English war hero because within such a hero can be found the spirit of a man—or woman—who is stronger, braver and better than any other; someone who is willing to face death with courage to ensure the freedom of others. Whether you live in the 9^th or the 21^st century, the war heroes from Old English literature still have a lot to teach us about what it means to be virtuous.

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A Rootless Society

Often times in nature we witness occurrences that reflect truths in human life.

Not long ago I observed a storm outside my family's living room window. My family had recently planted a dogwood tree in the front yard. The tree had only been rooted for about two weeks. Planted near the dogwood was a large oak tree that had been living there for over twenty years.

As the wind of the storm roared it yanked at both trees, attempting to rip them from the earth. The oak's branches rattled furiously but the tree itself stood firm. The dogwood, on the other hand, with its shallow roots, was no match to the storm’s fury and within minutes it was carried off into the neighbor's yard.

People, like trees, need strong roots if they hope to survive life's storms.

Wendell Berry, a well-known Kentucky farmer and writer, often expressed in his writings this connection between having roots and living a healthy human life. He believed that a community is not just a group of people living in the same vicinity but a group of people living side by side with interdependence upon each other.

Today’s tragic breakdown of community is in part due to our modern day’s emphasis on placing individual rights before individual responsibilities. This contemporary individualist mentality tells people to live for themselves and themselves only. Humans today are told that they are the ruler of their own lives and they should go where they want to go and be who ever they want to be.

This individualist mindset removes any sense of duty to a certain piece of land or group of people.

As Americans, we are restless. We are constantly moving, constantly searching for something better: a new job, a bigger home, or a better school.

Oswald Chambers, a renowned Christian author and minister, writes in one of his books that “when we are in an unhealthy state physically or emotionally, we always want thrills,” we seek constant change. Living in a nation that seeks change as much as ours, this is a claim for us to seriously consider.

Despite praises of modern technology, modern convenience, and our ever increasing ability to have the world at our fingertips, I’m not so sure that these "advancements" are such a good thing. Globalization is turning humans into economic units and causing us to forget that we are also spiritual beings.

I don’t know exactly how to stop this fatal trend, but I do know that if true community is to be preserved we must stop treating humans as mere biological, economical, or political creatures, and instead treat them as if they have souls capable of love, labor, and ultimately worship.

Today, there are temptations lurking around every corner to uproot ourselves. Temptations to take that new job, move into that bigger home, or attend that better school. However, I believe we must reject modern individualist thinking and once again recognize that we have a duty to look after our own community and the people in it.

My fear is that this traditional concept of community may only be an attribute of the past. And if I am accurate in my concern than we, like the tree with shallow roots, can not and will not survive life’s imminent storms.

You have to Prioritize

My writings will most likely be fewer and farther between from now on.

Why? Because I am taking two summer classes at my university. I have Student Government Association and College Republican responsibilities. My five year old son is about to start Kindergarten. I have ROTC several days a week. Not to mention I work at the University Coffee shop.

In other words, I will not have much time to write for pleasure. However, anytime I do get the chance I certainly will.

Just check back periodically. :-)

Every Generation Has Its Pontius Pilate

Politicians have always struggled with Pontius Pilate’s dilemma: should they act on the basis of principle or on the basis of political expediency? The modern-day Pontius Pilate is easy to spot. He is always studying the latest Gallup polls and shifting his opinion and policies accordingly. He is the one whose principles disappear the moment the going gets tough. You can spot him in almost every state house, almost every White House, and in every generation.


Pilate’s dilemma haunted the White House during the Clinton administration, when President Clinton lied about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. President Clinton, like Pilate, was too fearful of the public’s reaction to place his ethics first. In the 2000 presidential campaign Pilate’s dilemma made another appearance when Senator John McCain refused to speak out against South Carolina for flying the Confederate Flag over its State House. Although McCain believed that flying the flag was wrong, he was too fearful of losing the South Carolinian vote to place his moral convictions first. More recently, Governor Mitt Romney showed Pilate-like behavior. An ABC News article written by Marcus Baram describes Romney’s run for Governor in liberal Massachusetts and then his campaign to become the Republican presidential candidate:

"One candidate believes abortion should be legal, endorses embryonic stem cell research, supports a minimum wage increase, believes gays and lesbians deserve full equality and should be allowed to serve openly and honestly in the military, and opposes capital gains tax cuts.

The other candidate is firmly against abortion, opposes stem cell research, vetoed a minimum wage increase as governor of his state, vehemently opposes gay marriage and wants to maintain the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and supports capital gains tax cuts.

It's the old Mitt Romney versus the new Mitt Romney."

Clearly, political expediency trumped Romney’s own principles, whatever they may be. Pilate struggled with this conflict in A.D.26 and politicians have the same dilemma nearly 2000 years later.

Pilate's story has come to echo a core political dilemma - the choice between what is right and what is convenient. Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Britain, spoke very clearly of Pilate’s dilemma in The Sunday Telegraph:

"It is a timeless parable of political life. It is possible to view Pilate as the archetypal politician, caught on the horns of an age- old political dilemma. We know he did wrong. Yet his is the struggle between what is right and what is expedient that has occurred throughout history."

Obviously Blair, like many politicians, can identify with Pilate’s struggle.


However, it is hard not to sympathize with Pilate. I have had my own battles between doing what was popular versus what I believed to be morally right. At those moments I feel what Pilate must have felt. Pilate knew that Jesus had done no wrong and desired to release him but the pressure of the crowd was too strong. Doing the right thing despite the opinion of the majority is something everyone faces and many people choose the same path that Pilate chose. Pilate’s conflict, in short, transcends time.


The spirit of Pilate will never go away. Sam Cage of the Associated Press wrote that according to Swedish myth, every time the Romans tried to dispose of Pilate’s body a fierce storm would erupt until the corpse was recovered. Finally, they took his corpse to the top of an isolated mountain in Switzerland, then known as Frakmont, and submerged it in a dark lake. Pilate’s ghost is said to haunt the region even today. Pilate’s predicament is one of human nature. It seems that, as long as there are politicians, the ghost of Pontius Pilate will continue to haunt them.