Adversity is something that everyone experiences in their lives, and at one time or another this adversity has made us question the meaning of our current situation, jobs, relationships or even our very existence. Faith, putting trust or confidence in externalities can help us overcome adversity and provide us with definition and clarity, whether it be faith in God , faith in others or even faith in ourselves.
The Book of Eli , a 2010 film directed by the Hughes brothers, Albert and Allen, foregrounds the most obvious understanding and purposeful use of faith in overcoming adversity and providing definition and focus in an adverse, hostile and post apocalyptic world where it seems that chaos and misanthropy reigns. Central protagonist Eli has an innumerable faith in God and his given mission which provide Eli with clarity, a goal and strength.
Nineteen Eighty-Four, written by George Orwell and published in 1949, is one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. Set in a dystopic future where the Party is in complete control of the citizens and every facet of their existence, Orwell's use of faith in basic humanity in his characters manages to subvert the totalitarian regime and provides hope.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the playwright's most famous tragedies. Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, has been killed by his uncle Claudius, and the throne usurped as he marries Hamlet's mother. Hamlet resolves to kill Claudius to avenge his father, and faith plays a large part in Hamlet's character development, his faith in God and faith, or lack thereof, in his own actions and own identity form a complex interplay which ultimately defines his character.
The Book of Eli, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Hamlet all illustrate faith in its different forms and how this faith is utilised in relation to adversity. Through these three texts, it is apparent that faith is used as a mechanism against adversity and against a sense of despair. Faith in all three texts provides characters with distinct goals, focus, clarity, strength and hope which ultimately allows these characters to successfully struggle against the adverse and hostile circumstances they exist in, and highlight the importance of faith in such situations.
Keeping the Faith- 12.6 Analytical Exposition
In life, people are often faced with seemingly absurd and hostile circumstances. As a Christian, I believe that faith, putting trust or confidence in something, is a common, effective strategy and mechanism used by people in the struggle against adversity. The Book of Eli, a film directed by the Hughes Brothers, Nineteen Eighty-Four a novel by George Orwell and Hamlet a play by William Shakespeare all use faith in their respective characters struggles against the hostile, chaotic systems and circumstances which define their lives. Whether it be faith in God or faith in humanity, faith or a lack of faith in this belief system, is an integral part of the character's journey in these texts.
The Book of Eli is set in a post-apocalyptic America in the year 2043, thirty years after an apocalyptic event . The discourse of faith, a specific belief in God, is the most obvious in this text. The mise en scene and atmosphere of the film is quickly established and sustained with images of a desolate and barren environment. In ash filled woods Eli finds a cat nibbling a corpse, he shoots the cat for dinner. Eli wandering along an abandoned road, a sole man on a journey through the midst of a cold, hostile world is a stark, representative image. This is augmented by the bleak visual style and sparse cinematography interspersed with periodic bursts of action and violence. The titular character Eli, played by Denzel Washington, has been entrusted with a sacred mission from God to travel to the West Coast of America to deliver a Bible, the last of it's kind, to ensure its safety and the survival of its message.
The world is in a state of decay, physically and socially. An apocalyptic event has brought humanity to its knees. People live in ramshackle homes and towns, resources are precious and commodities such as KFC napkins and Zippo lighters are used as currency. Amongst the remaining dregs of humanity, cannibalism has also become commonplace and anarchy reigns. It is in this harsh environment that Eli must survive and fulfil his task. As Eli ultimately succeeds in his mission, he is revealed to be blind, as he dictates the entire Bible from memory so that it can be transcribed for future generations, before dying of his wounds.
Eli's blindness and faith are highly symbolic as well as literal. The audience views Eli as pious and driven through his praying, speech and dedication to his mission. The 'Flash' that he sees during the Apocalyptic event makes him blind, symbolic of the lack of vision and clarity felt in the grim, hostile post-apocalyptic world. Instead, his faith guides him and provides him with a sense of purpose and definition' I don't see by sight. I see by faith'. In a dark, confusing, decaying world, Eli found light, focus and hope. It allows him to fearlessly kill those who threaten him or his mission, when attackers fire bullets at him, it is said that divine protection deflects these bullets. This is highly symbolic of the way that Eli's faith operates in the film, his faith in God provides him with protection from all those who would oppose him or encroach on his absolute faith. It provides him with a sense of purpose in a world where purpose seems to be absent and provides him with clarity of vision even though he has no vision literally.
Faith is also realised in other characters, such as Solara, Eli's companion, who is taught how to pray and about scripture. This significant scene is accompanied with emotionally pertinent music. The lighting in this scene starts off dim before progressively brightening as Eli teaches Solara and the camera pans in a revolution around the pair. This symbolises the change taking place, the faith being imparted in Solara and the new beginnings it entails. This new found faith leads Solara to become a fierce and determined character. Eli never doubts his faith or the meaning of his dangerous and arduous mission, his faith propelling him along his path, he is driven to complete his mission and even when dying, Eli is elated by his sense of accomplishment :
'Thank you for finally allowing me to rest. I'm so very tired, but I go now to my rest at peace. Knowing that I have done right with my time on this earth. I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith. '
Faith in The Book of Eli serves to provide structure and security in the minds of the protagonists, defining purpose in a chaotic, confusing world on their divine mission, ultimately Eli's faith proves to be his greatest asset in his quest. Eli keeps the faith in that he never doubts God, or his God given mission. He prizes his faith above all other aspects of his character, and it defines his humanity and characterisation. Faith is used to propel him along his journey effectively as a defence against any obstacles that he encounters.
The faith portrayed in Nineteen Eighty-Four is of different kind, although no less important in the fight for self definition and purpose. Orwell himself was a socialist and believed that the spirit of the masses could rebel against any totalitarianism, which he witnessed with horror in the Spanish Civil War with Franco, World War II with Hitler and elsewhere with other dictators such as Stalin, and this as much a socio-political commentary as a novel.
Orwell expends great effort and spares no detail in outlining and fleshing out his fictional world in both grand scale right down to its minutiae in physical, political, social and economic terms to set a suitable context for his characters. These political and historical influences are made clear in Nineteen Eighty Four, and there are several embedded references such as the man with the moustache, which can be construed as a reference to Stalin and Hitler, or the Thought Police as a parallel to the Gestapo, SS and KGB . The protagonist of the story is an average Outer Party worker Winston Smith, who develops an illicit relationship with another Party member Julia, Orwell's context which he places them in transforms these two characters and their relationship from the mundane into the extraordinary. Love is forbidden in this futuristic version of London. Much like The Book of Eli , the futuristic world is a bleak place. The Party, which has absolute control, has artificial order imposed on humanity.
Nineteen Eighty-Four positions readers to view Winston sympathetically, but also with admiration. The fact that Winston is a hopeless character stuck in a hopeless system provides Orwell with impetus to delineate his faith in his political ideals with his narrative technique. Orwell uses prosaic prose, third person prose to reflect the harsh, totalitarian controlled existence of his characters and also to elucidate Orwell's own imprinting of his own ideas into the narrative. Recurring symbols include the paperweight Winston purchases, which represents the fragility of the past, but also represents faith in a better future and as a manifestation of Winston's faith.
At the beginning of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston is represented as discontent with his existence, and sceptical of the Party's methods, as he writes in his diary 'Down with Big Brother'. However, his rebellion remains internal and unfocused, as he continues to comply with the Party whilst secretly resenting it. He drifts aimlessly, his lack of faith in anything leaves him without focus or clarity. "The past was dead, the future was unimaginable." (27) His rebellion only becomes real and concentrated once he puts his faith in his lover, Julia. Having found someone to consume this emotion, trust and confidence , he diverts his loyalty away from the totalitarian government and onto other people. Winston finds purpose and meaning in his life through Julia "At the sight of the words I love you the desire to stay alive had welled up in him" (111) and in other people. Their relationship becomes a statement, a statement of rebellion against the Party, and both Winston and Julia become more acute and aware of how the Party is manipulating people through methods such as 'Doublethink'.
Winston develops further faith and hope for the future, and places his faith in the proletariats or 'proles', the majority working class to one day overthrow the totalitarian Party. This intellectual dissidence and pragmatic expression of their rebellious spirit constitutes a grievous offence against the Party, and they are arrested, tortured and interrogated. "If you can feel that staying human is worthwhile, even when it can't have any result whatever, you've beaten them." (86)
Winston and Julia are not defeated by being killed, they are defeated by being reprogrammed to accept Big Brother, losing their emotional ties to each other, and losing their faith in rebellion against the Party "Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!" (289) . Orwell embeds his own cultural, political and intellectual values into the text- his protest against totalitarianism, faith in socialism and the enduring spirit of humanity. Even against the omnipotent, omniscient totalitarian government, Winston and Julia's seemingly insignificant relationship is construed as a momentous and deeply rebellious act, he portrays basic humanity as being able to subvert and damage the Party. "...the simple undifferentiated desire: that was the force that would tear the Party to pieces." (127)
Orwell also believed firmly in the working class, and the reader is privileged to this through the depiction of the proles. They make up around 85 percent of the population, yet hold no real power and are on the lowest rungs of society, and are controlled by the Party. "If there was hope, it must lie in the proles, because only there, in those swarming disregarded masses, eighty-five percent of the population of Oceania, could the force to destroy the Party ever be generated." (63)
They are uneducated and easily exploited. Yet they are described as having a spirit that could crush the Party if they ever chose to rise up, and as such, Orwell and Winston both reveal their faith in the proles and their latent abilities to crush the Party- 'If there is hope, it lies in the proles.' (60)
In Nineteen Eighty-Four faith is revealed as a discourse through in the author's voice and his characters. Orwell's faith in humanity and his socialist ideals are foregrounded in his articulation of the world in Nineteen Eighty-Four, as Orwell priveliges to readers how faith can provide hope in the struggle against totalitarianism and constructs his own faith in humanity in the novel at a time when faith in the real world was only a glimmer. Winston's faith is seen to develop him as a character from a despondent, aimless character into an intellectually acute rebel, 'the last man' in the struggle against the oppressive Party. Faith in Nineteen Eighty-Four operates as a facilitator to rebellion, purpose and intellectual freedom in a regimented and restrictive environment, it provides characters with hope, enlightenment, autonomy and definition in a world where these things are controlled by the Party.
The Book of Eli uses the discourse of faith in God to provide impetus, motivation and clarity to the protagonists. Faith is seen as a great virtue, a potent force to be used in the struggle against adversity and the pursuit of actualisation. Nineteen Eighty-Four also displays faith, but in the form of faith in humanity. Winston's faith in humanity transforms him into a rebel against the state, and his faith in the Party is taken away, making him temporarily a successful character, before he is definitively crushed by the Party. Faith is revealed to be a positive, potent and useful force in providing characters with strength and focus in these two texts. Hamlet combines the discourses of faith in God with faith in oneself. Faith provides the same role in bolstering the protagonist in their struggle against adverse situations, however, Hamlet also explores the duality of faith and their interplay.
Hamlet a play by William Shakespeare is a revenge tragedy set in Elsinore, in medieval Denmark. Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, has been killed by his uncle Claudius, and the throne usurped as he marries Hamlet's mother. Hamlet resolves to kill Claudius to avenge his father. A duality of faith occurs in Hamlet's character, faith in God and faith in himself, both of which are major facets of his character representation and development. Hamlet is a deeply Christian character, and mobilising a discourse of religion in the Shakespearean era. Christian doctrine is represented through Hamlet's actions and speech, and proves to both a positive force and a hindrance.
Hamlet's first reaction to his uncle's treachery and treason is deep despair and impotent rage. He contemplates suicide as a means to alleviate his emotional turmoil, but his faith in God prevents him from committing suicide, as suicide is considered a sin 'canon 'gainst self-slaughter (1.2.135)' foregrounding faith as a positive virtue in Hamlet's character. Hamlet, is by nature, a cautious, contemplative character and this is seen to be one of his fatal flaws. The young prince is visited by the ghost of his father, who urges his son to avenge him by killing Claudius. A confused young man, Hamlet's faith is seen as a debilitating factor here, as at first, he is hesitant to take heed of the ghost's words as he believes it could be a manipulative agent of the Devil "The devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape." (2.2.600) . Hamlet wishes to acquire proof of Claudius' guilt. This hesitancy to act, adherence to Christian doctrine, and contemplation are emblematic of Hamlet's representation. Hamlet himself recognises this as he berates himself for being a coward and inert throughout the play.
After Hamlet finds out that Claudius is guilty, he resolves to kill the new king. He finds Claudius praying in a chapel. This scene features the most explicit depiction of faith. Claudius is seen praying to God, asking for Him to absolve his sins, Hamlet observes this and is caught in inner conflict. The playwright positions readers to view Hamlet as impractical, pious and hesitant, reinforcing his characterisation of Hamlet. Shakespeare also reaffirms Claudius' nefarious character, as although he prays, he is insincere and continues in his ways remorselessly afterwards. Hamlet wishes to kill Claudius, but his faith and piousness means that he abhors the idea of killing a man while praying, in a chapel no less, no matter the situation. He also believes that killing Claudius while engaged in an act as pure as praying would only send him to Heaven, Hamlet's desire for revenge cuts to his very core and he wishes to damn Claudius to Hell. And that his soul may be as damn'd and black As hell, whereto it goes. (3.3.153) Ultimately, Hamlet does not act, and this moment of inactivity is the beginning of Hamlet's downfall, and displays faith as a debilitating factor in Hamlet's character.
Faith ultimately does help Hamlet in his quest for retribution. Previously, readers are positioned to see that Hamlet, while faithful to God, lacks faith in himself, constantly doubting himself, never taking the initiative and always self deprecating. Faith in himself is gathered at the end of the play O! from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (4.4.141) through experiences such as looking at Fortinbras, the Crown Prince of Norway and they way in which he commands his troops with total authority and self confidence. Hamlet combines this new found faith in himself with his faith in God to steel himself, and to finally complete his task of killing Claudius. Hamlet's faith in God is privileged when he states that whatever his course of action, God is ultimately in control, and this thought reassures Hamlet and provides him the mental strength to kill Claudius. His new found faith in himself works in tandem with his faith in God, evidenced when he accepts the fencing match with Laertes, even when Horatio is worried for his safety:
Not a whit, we defy augury: there's a special
providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now,
'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be
now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the
readiness is all: since no man has aught of what he
leaves, what is't to leave betimes? Let be.
(5.2.219-224)
Hamlet is revealed to have fashioned his faith in God and himself to provide himself with strength, purpose and clarity.
Death's inevitability is acknowledged by Hamlet, and he knows that death is somehow probable if he decides to kill Claudius but his strong dual faith in himself and his actions, and God render him fearless, motivated and determined, in stark contrast to his previously cautious character. Faith in Hamlet ultimately defines the titular character's representation and allows him to eventually succeed in his task. Faith is seen to be both a positive and negative factor at different times throughout the play, but in the end when Hamlet combines his faith in God and faith in himself here affirms his purpose and it provides him with strength and momentum.
The Book of Eli, a film directed by the Hughes Brothers, Nineteen Eighty-Four a novel by George Orwell and Hamlet by William Shakespeare foreground the idea of faith in its many forms . The Book of Eli and Hamlet both represent how faith can reaffirm purpose, provide direction and provide motivation for arduous, difficult tasks in a hostile and restrictive environment. Faith in God underpins these two texts, and this faith also determines the moral and spiritual guidelines which the characters live by. Faith in oneself is displayed in Nineteen Eighty-Four and Hamlet and through significant character development and advancement asserting self confidence, and faith in others is shown in Nineteen Eighty-Four to be a positive force against the totalitarian state.
In the face of adversity, faith is a potent force. Whether it be faith in God, faith in others or faith in ourselves, it is a positive force that allows purpose, focus and hope to prosper when there seemingly is none. The Book of Eli, , Nineteen Eighty-Four and Hamlet all foreground the power of faith, and ultimately, how faith can overcome despair and adversity, an important trait which needs to be fostered by future generations. Without faith in its many forms, people become despondent and aimless. Faith as a mechanism of character helps to dispel despair, fear and most importantly doubt, as it provides impetus for self confidence, self actualisation, stability, focus and clarity. In keeping the faith, one is also keeping the most positive and potent aspect of humanity.
