Literary voyages are the most common way to look into the inner space of human relations through symbolic means. In the expected reading texts from Module 1, the characters leave for either the physical journeys or the internal ones. This reflects the inner conflicts arising from the contradictory targets, ideals, and attitudes of characters regarding each other. One would grow in mastery of the subtleties of human communication and one’s conviction of the relativity of viewpoints by understanding these journeys from the inside out. This paper will discuss the importance of characters’ journeys in several selected works of Module 1 and the conflicts and disclosures these journeys bring along.
For instance, the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, classified as a tragedy, provides the best example of the psychological phenomenon of exploring interpersonal relations via travel. The narration of the crisscross by the title characters, from the extreme of infatuation to the calamity, vividly conveys the complexities of love and family loyalties against the backdrop of social strata (Schilb and Clifford). At the start, hostility is part of both families for so long, whereby Romeo and Juliet meet at the party, which not only gives them a chance to fall in love but also allows them to love each other secretly. A struggle with overcoming social barriers and fulfilling personal goals despite many pitfalls is becoming believable with their shared path.
On the other hand, as they get used to one another, the relationship becomes confrontational. The feud between the Montagues and the Capulets shows the destructive power of the prejudices people can hold towards others, which represents, at the same time, the war against social norms by threatening their unity (Schilb and Clifford). Other than that, the hasty and unwise choices of the protagonists and their comic adequacy lead to horrific disasters.
Romeo and Juliet’s journey is not limited to the portrayal of love, which started from the main characters’ first meetings; it also includes the complex study of how family and culture affect our decision-making process. As a result, the audience can witness the helplessness of two lovers who are subject to the aspirations and expectations of their society. Shakespeare nimbly uses this paid love among the young counter to symbolize the problems caused by the tightness of kinship and rigid traditions (Schilb and Clifford). The romantic couple will be shown how to reconcile their ambitions with the influence of houses opposing each other and solid social structures as they strive to face their forbidden love without giving up. The recomposition of their sea quest becomes a battle zone of contradictory loyalties and responsibilities, with both lives and death being the results. Shakespeare’s tragic final scenes offer an instructive lesson of the obstacles everything has to go through when love is involved, alongside a grim background of imposed social standards. Shakespeare suggests that we encounter whining subjects such as the purpose of relationships and the eternal struggle between personal freedom and social pressure when we look at the story of Romeo and Juliet.
Besides, Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is another work that employs the journey motif to bring to light the contradictory ideas within families and how they clash with the values of younger people. The always-present and underlying tensions between the family members are surfacing and exaggerated by the inter-generational gaps between the farmer and his two kids (Schilb and Clifford). Conflicts are developed when her grandkids’ cynical standpoints and her son Bailey’s immature personality go head-to-head with her romantic regard for the past. It is through that they cease their well-mannered conversation and start in an unfortunate direction by stumbling across the misfit, a criminal with a sinister attitude, by whom a chain of tragic events (Schilb and Clifford). From his interactions with various characters in the play, we see a correlation between morality, atonement, and the capacity to be forgiving when everyone faces adverse situations.
The characters in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” undergo their version of the moral transformation through this journey, which drives their transformation. Although the grandmother finally comprehends everything while pretending and lying on the bed, she leaves when she accepts her mortal end and the consequences of her actions (Schilb and Clifford). Skillfully, O’Connor’s narration deals with the many complexities of human relations while highlighting the intricacies of ethics and the transformative power of casual meetings.
In conclusion, the various texts by the authors from Module 1 that we looked at use the trip symbolically to explain the complexity of interpersonal connections. Whether through the morality, love, or commitment of Shakespeare’s characters, like that of the love birds Romeo and Juliet in his play “Romeo and Juliet” or the family in O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” readers will get an exploration into the human state of mind, more so as the characters go through personal internal struggles. The journeys also reveal the conflicts resulting from demographics. Engaging readers’ attention to details of human relationships and the eternal meaning of literature in exploring the profound human experience is achieved through the joint experience of the characters in these books.
Work Cited
Schilb, John, and John Clifford. Arguing about Literature: A Guide and Reader. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.
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