Self: The fickle child borne by the preservation of body or soul
ARLT 100
Self: The fickle child borne by the preservation of body or soul
In the “Story of the Warrior and the Captive Maiden” and “The Academy”, Borges and Kafka examine the proverbial theme of self-identity. They contrast nature against civilization to allude to the themes of freedom against captivity. Thereafter, they build upon the contrast to craft the notion that self-identity is not immutable; that an individual can experience a vicissitude of self-identity through one’s lifetime due external influences.
Identity is defined as the set of meanings that define who one is when one is an occupant of a particular role in the society, a member of a particular group, or claims particular characteristics that identify him or her as a unique personi (Peter J. Burke and Jan E. Stets 1). Both Kafka and Borges create moments when the character or even the reader stands irresolute of the character’s current identity. The ape in “The Academy” stands in a crossroad between his ape-ish past and a humanized identity, the Indian girl in “Story of the Warrior and the Captive Maiden” transitions from a civilized woman to a feral being, while the Warrior (Droctulft )transitions in the reverse sequence.
The underlying theme in all three cases is the inconsistency of identity. Perhaps the most uncertain character among these three would be the ape. Whereas the characters from Borges’ story had completed the transition to a converse self, the ape still seems to be struggling to define its current self. Its dilemma is apparent especially when it denies the full acceptance of itself as a human while also rejecting the possibility that it is still an ape. Throughout the story, it emphasizes that it does not in any way, prefer the human way of life; rather, it chose to transform itself for self-preservation (physically). On the other hand, it acknowledges that it has moved too far from its past self as an ape to ever return to that state as well. The ape is, in essence, in a
Self: The fickle child borne by the preservation of body or soul
In the “Story of the Warrior and the Captive Maiden” and “The Academy”, Borges and Kafka examine the proverbial theme of self-identity. They contrast nature against civilization to allude to the themes of freedom against captivity. Thereafter, they build upon the contrast to craft the notion that self-identity is not immutable; that an individual can experience a vicissitude of self-identity through one’s lifetime due external influences.
Identity is defined as the set of meanings that define who one is when one is an occupant of a particular role in the society, a member of a particular group, or claims particular characteristics that identify him or her as a unique personi (Peter J. Burke and Jan E. Stets 1). Both Kafka and Borges create moments when the character or even the reader stands irresolute of the character’s current identity. The ape in “The Academy” stands in a crossroad between his ape-ish past and a humanized identity, the Indian girl in “Story of the Warrior and the Captive Maiden” transitions from a civilized woman to a feral being, while the Warrior (Droctulft )transitions in the reverse sequence.
The underlying theme in all three cases is the inconsistency of identity. Perhaps the most uncertain character among these three would be the ape. Whereas the characters from Borges’ story had completed the transition to a converse self, the ape still seems to be struggling to define its current self. Its dilemma is apparent especially when it denies the full acceptance of itself as a human while also rejecting the possibility that it is still an ape. Throughout the story, it emphasizes that it does not in any way, prefer the human way of life; rather, it chose to transform itself for self-preservation (physically). On the other hand, it acknowledges that it has moved too far from its past self as an ape to ever return to that state as well. The ape is, in essence, in a