“Life is worth while, for it is full of dreams and peace, gentleness and ecstasy, and faith that burns like a clear white flame on a grim dark altar.” So begins the correspondence of the novella of Nathaniel West, Miss Lonelyhearts (1933). West's work was not only a reaction to the national problems of the Great Depression but to the personal problems generated by the it, and not only for the general public but for himself also. West brought an element of the demure into his writing that characterized both the economic and emotional depression that the 1929 crash had generated among many people in the nation throughout the 1930's. In fewer than sixty pages, West forms a clear critique of both the personal and national lives of American citizens of the early nineteen hundreds. From a clear disregard for the well-being of others to a lack of respect for the world itself, West clearly qualifies the shortcomings of those individuals. Far from solely casting the stone at those outside of himself, West is wont to use the literary figure as both a setting for the turmoil of someone affected by such shortcomings and the vehicle for personal desire, destruction, or change. The power of West's novella lies in its simple depiction of the personal struggle of humanity and decidedly complex representation of humanity's societal struggle. While personal problem's in west's world can be comforted simply by the careful wordsmith, not even the most concerned citizen may alleviate the problems generated by society alone. West uses a depth of imagery and strong character relationships to illustrate the suffering caused by dependence on a society which lacks beauty at every turn.
West's leading character, a newsman who writes an advice column and t...
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Through David Bergen’s A Year of Lesser and Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness, one can learn what salvation means to Mennonites. Protagonists Johnny Fehr and Nomi Nickel struggle with the concept of salvation through the novels and eventually, the question of salvation remains ambiguous. It is unclear at the conclusion of both novels whether the characters have achieved salvation and whether salvation itself is the key to a happy, fulfilled life. Authors Toews and Bergen are keenly and self-consciously aware of the complex notion of salvation and address it through complex characters who are not sure exactly what salvation is themselves. These characters parallel Mennonites own confusion regarding this integral aspect of faith. The methods that salvation manifests throughout the two stories of Johnny and Nomi are unique to their particular situations but transcend beyond the stories created by Bergen and Toews. The elaborate view of salvation portrayed through these two secular Mennonite authors reflects the ambiguity of salvation that Mennonites themselves have been struggling with for generations.
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Beryl Markham’s West with the Night is a collection of anecdotes surrounding her early life growing up as a white girl in British imperialist Africa, leading up to and through her flight across the Atlantic Ocean from East to West, which made her the first woman to do so successfully. Throughout this memoir, Markham exhibits an ache for discovery, travel, and challenge. She never stays in one place for very long and cannot bear the boredom of a stagnant lifestyle. One of the most iconic statements that Beryl Markham makes in West with the Night is:
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