As time has gone by many authors have chosen the Faustian Bargain as a topic for their stories and novels. What is the Faustian Bargain, and how does this have any impact on a literary work? Throughout all aspects of Literature, you can find the Faustian Deal or what is sometimes known as, “The Subsequent Fall”. Robert Stevenson, Willkie Collins, and Oscar Wilde, all wrote literary books that went into depth over the complications between morals, and a very ultimate level of power.
In Willkie Collins, “The Woman in White” you can really feel the presence of a Faustian bargain taking root. The power of mystery and suspense runs ripe all throughout “the Woman in White” and constantly keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. There is definitely something unique about this read that must be accounted for. The resemblance found between this story and the subsequent fall plays a huge role in this. The literary work shows the power struggle between knowledge and the sacrifice made to obtain it. The subsequent fall has been related to human beings all throughout time and is responsible for many folk tales and religious beliefs. It is the ferocious battle that takes place between absolute good, and pure evil. It is common in many written works and creates a formulated plot that consists of changes, suspenseful moments, and shocking conclusions. The plot found within “The Woman in White” resembles this closely and even corresponds to it. The novel uses a lot of symbolism to give the reader an insight as to what exactly the characters are feeling (Collins, “The Woman in White”). This is important because, without the symbolism presented, the full effect of the Bargain taking place would not be felt. Collins many characters and narrators to develop the storyline (Collins, “The Woman in White”). This story utilizes the power of third person omniscient as well as third person limited while correlating with first person point of view to give offer an in-depth understanding of thoughts and emotions flowing between characters while leaving some questions unanswered.
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Second, Robert Louis Stevenson who is the author of, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde utilizes the Faustian Bargain to write a crime mystery that involves a more severe and self-created battle. This battle takes place between two separate characters that cannot be classified as the same person even though they cannot exist without the other (Caroll, 15). This story is filled with symbolism and metaphors that upset the balance between good and evil within the reader. By giving a physical example through Hyde of what evil a man can create, it would seem that Stevenson would like the reader to question the good and evil coexisting within themselves (Stevenson, 843). The story employs suspense and is broken into sections that require an in-depth analysis. This technique requires close reading and focus on even the most minuscule of details. The suspense is created by giving bits and pieces to a story that generates questions that don’t even need to be written. Questions such as, are we all capable of taking a life? How does something so evil coexist constantly with something that is good? Is it possible that our lives are just constant battles between love and hate (Caroll,15)? The story requires what Coleridge called “a willing suspension of belief”. The imagination of the reader and the ability to create different scenarios creates multiple climaxes in the story. The sacrifice that Dr. Jekyll makes within the story is costly to the physical, and mental health of himself and the other characters. A Faustian Bargain is made in the story and as the bargain is fulfilled, immoral actions are juxtaposed against acts of bravery and righteousness.
Finally, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, a more personal and detailed experience with the bargain itself was written by Oscar Wilde. In other literary works, the author usually gives a limited perspective due to the mysteriousness that the bargain entrails. Yet this story is unique and gives the reader a first-hand experience of what the character is experiencing. The reward and the conflict, the relief, and the struggle, and the immoral and moral battle are all on display for the reader to emphasize and understand better. The story focuses on the direct relationship between the soul and the body (Caroll, 15). It connects two of the things that make us who we are and shows that balance is needed on both ends to support a healthy and morally correct life (Caroll, 15). The story shows a reverse form of duality when compared to the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Luckhurst). By using metaphors and symbolic items throughout the story Wilde compares the conflicts that occur within our souls, minds, and bodies when a deal such as the Faustian deal takes place (Luckhurst). We see firsthand just how important our ideals and our beliefs are in defining who we are. By connecting the painting to the life of Gray, Wilde is able to make a statement that refuses to fall silent even on deaf ears. The debt that is owed and eventually paid in this story can create a new awareness of one’s lustful ideas and beliefs. The author constantly uses metaphors and symbolism to prove this to be true, and even possibly making this a sub-theme for the overall story itself.
The moral conflicts that are generated by the Faustian Bargain are what truly drive all of humanity to search for justice, while at the same time disowning it. While the deal itself is quite possibly made up, the problems that accompany it are real-world problems that humanity faces each and every day. The authors of these stories and these novels were able to see this issue and used it to question the ultimate question of all humanity, “What is Man”. Man is simply a divided soul torn between right and wrong, designed to suffer at the hands of a never-ending war between the moral and immoral presence within us. While this answer may not be fit for some, based on the proof that I have found within the presented works, our lives are built upon an equal amount of doing right as well as doing wrong. This perfect imperfection is felt by many and is very often shoved out of balance creating a conflict that is sometimes unwinnable. While this conflict does in fact lead to suffering, it may also lead to ultimate redemption, and as always, the choice lies within thyself, whether thyself is known or not.
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