Literary And Physical Realizations On Violence

“Violence is one of the most personal and even intimate acts between human beings, but it can also be cultural and societal in its implications. It can be symbolic, thematic, biblical, Shakespearean, Romantic, allegorical, transcendent. Violence in real life just is. If someone punches you in the nose in a supermarket parking lot, it's simply aggression. It doesn't contain meaning beyond the act itself. Violence in literature, though, while it is literal, is usually also something else.” Chapter Eleven: “... More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence” page 88

Since my discussion on the impact of truth on life and literature, I have to find this statement to be gravely false. Real life violence is not “simply aggression,” and while I will admit that this violence is daily, and somewhat commonplace, we cannot allow ourselves to simply ignore its implications. All of the authors Foster presents as examples for his argument in the chapter have been directly affected by violence in their lives. Foster says for himself in reference to Robert Frost, “only a person who has been around the ceaseless danger of farm machinery could have written the poem.” The personal memories of readers and writers alike affect the very nature of literature. The experiences of writers will inevitably affect the themes, archetypes, and overall content of their work. While the events that occur in a reader's life will affect how they interpret the writer's work. Since violence influences both the writing and reading experience, it seems nonsensical to ignore the implications of actual violence on literature. Perhaps Foster makes this claim simply with the knowledge that literature enhances and magnifies real life stories through the usage of omniscient narrators and bold language. Even though I agree entirely with that premise, being aware of the causes and effects of everyday violence can only enrich our lives within and outside of literature. To enhance our literary “instincts” and further our comprehension of the world we live in, as readers we should use the tools of decoding literature that Foster describes when we encounter violence on a day-to-day basis. Just like in literature violence in real life can be “symbolic, thematic, biblical, Shakespearean, Romantic, allegorical, transcendent.” At this very moment Christian interference in Muslim jihad wars conjures a scene of biblical proportions, does it not? When a member of MS 13 stabs an innocent bystander, does it mean nothing? Is it “simply aggression?” I think not. Rather I look back to the societal impact of civil wars in Latin America, such as in Nicaragua, that led to the formation of the MS 13. Did not Shakespeare borrow the violence from history to make Henry V, Julius Caesar, Othello, and countless other great masterpieces? Have not real people committed acts of violence in the name of love? Wasn't the death of Emerson's dear wife the source of his personal transcendentalist movement? I tell you that if each man and woman devoted more time to contemplating the violence present within their own lives, the world might have more meaning, and the apathetic tendencies of humanity might come to an end, or maybe not. But as more attention is placed on tangible violence in the world, readers will undoubtedly be better suited to understand the symbolism of violence in literature.