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Post by Dr. Nemmers on May 31, 2024 14:52:22 GMT
The entire first section of "An Occurrence" features the description of Peyton Farquar standing on top of a bridge with a noose around his neck, seemingly only with seconds to live. Depending on how you read the rest of the story, the entirety of the story may take place in this moment-- a man sentenced to death and pondering what he should do in his last moments.
How might this situation be read as universal through an existentialist lens?
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Post by meagangcurrie on Jun 1, 2024 0:26:00 GMT
The whole idea of existentialism revolves around one's existence and that purpose is created through oneself. When faced with death, it is natural to think about how to survive or escape it. Death is imminent and you cannot escape it. Farquhar knew that his actions had consequences, so perhaps, many existentialists believe that Farquhar's death is the result of how he decided to direct his life. This is a difficult question nonetheless.
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Post by gnicholson3 on Jun 3, 2024 16:37:52 GMT
Peyton is running out of time; we, the readers, know this because the ticking of his watch is alerting us. This reminder is also meant to alert the readers that we are all running out of time. We should be thinking of what we would do in our last moments and do those things, because our last moments could be sooner rather than later. This piece can be universally felt, because we all are mortal and will die one day. It is inevitable, there is nothing to be done, but we can choose to live our lives as if we were dead men walking by making the most out of time with our families and choosing our paths wisely.
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Renee Luedders (Post 4)
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Post by Renee Luedders (Post 4) on Jun 5, 2024 0:13:05 GMT
I made a note while I was reading that in the beginning is the only time the name God is mentioned. I don't know if it's significant or not, but I found this interesting. However, Peyton does seem to have hope throughout the whole story, no matter what is happening. He's constantly thinking of things that he can do to escape his situation, even while in pain. He does dread for a moment in the beginning, but it's like he's moving towards a better existence, even though we find out it's not real. I it's considered existential, but I feel there is support for the opposite. Maybe it goes back to the idea that existentialism is so hard to define!
I really enjoy this story because it's so complex and it made me think.
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