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The Human Condition is a mystery. How do the composers of your texts attempt to

demystify the human condition?

The human condition is born out of a struggle to cope with the erratic circumstances

which arise in ones life with the consequent reward for our effort being self realization.

T.S Eliot attempts to narrate this through The Love Song of J. lfred !rufroc" whichutilises a dramatic monologue to demonstrate the traits of insecurit#$ and isolation$

Tennesee %illiams The &lass 'enagerie which showcases the human tendenc# toescape in order to cope with our environment and 'ichael &ows pla# wa# which

proves that through the inevitabilit# of death and loss we find resilience.

As humans, encouragement and support is essential for normal functioning thus the

question arises as to what transpires when one is devoid of this. T. S Eliot explores thisnotion through the poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred rufroc!, where the protagonist, is

able to realise the "o#s of the human condition #et is unable to revel in them due to his

awareness of his own limitations. The superficial bourgeois social values upheld b# uppermiddle class America during the earl# $% thcentur# undermine rufroc!&s capabilit# and

ma!e him insecure. rufroc!&s spiritual suffocation b# this pretentious societ# is

emphasi'ed through his evaluation, (( have measured out m# life with coffee spoons).The symbolismof the coffee spoons underlines the unsatisf#ing, carefull# calculated life

of insignificance he leads #et the quer#, (so how should ( presume*) reflects his inabilit#

to brea! free of these manacles, an inabilit# that arises through his insecurit#. The

fragmentedstructure of the poem and the switching of active to passive personascoupled with the repetition of a question ,(so how should ( presume*), in ever# stan'a

serves in communicating the apprehensive nature of the protagonist and highlights his

inadequac#. tream of consciousnessis furthermore used to demonstrate rufroc!&sinsecurit# as the reason for his indecisiveness, +Time #et for a hundred decisions and for

a hundred visions and revisions$ before the ta"ing of a toast and tea) The!uxtaposition

between rufroc!&s neuroticism and the mundane ta!ing of afternoon tea magnifies the

need for securit#. Eliot uses rufroc! to illustrate the human condition&s need for securit#to aid in reali'ing our inner self

The fear of isolation also pla#s an imperative role in determining the human condition. *n

The Love Song of J. Alfred rufroc!, rufroc!&s want of self+realisation is suffocated b#

his fear of re"ection from his superficial societ#, (,o ( dare disturb the -niverse). is

consequent spiritual alienation is manifested physicallythorough the descriptions of theurbani'ed cit#, (halfdeserted streets/spread out li"e a patient etherised.) The simile

uses the harsh streetscapes of the newl# industrialised America to emphasise the mental

blea!ness caused b# rufroc!&s dread of isolation. The!uxtapositionof the refrain, ((nthe room women come and go tal"ing of 'ichelangelo) with these streetscapes further

highlights the spiritual damage caused b# materialistic societies. rufroc!&s awareness of

the (drowning) of his soul in (tea and ca"es and ices) is vividl# portra#ed through the

synecdocheof a crab, (( should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the

silent seas) where he wants to lie in oblivion rather than face the constraints of the human

condition. At the end of the poem, rufroc!&s confesses that he doesn&t thin! the

mermaids (will sing to me). The isolation of this line from the rest of the poem is a

physical manifestationof rufroc!&s emotions, the fact that even in fantas# does

rufroc! become re"ected reflects the human condition&s legitimate fear that no one will

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notice us or ta!e care of us and that. Eliot therefore claims that the human condition&s

want for companionship surpasses that of inner+peace

The pain which characteri'es the human condition is subsidi'ed b# our tendenc# to

escape into fantasies. *n Tennessee -illiam&s The lass /enagerie the economic

frustration of the -ingfield famil# after the reat 0epression is highlighted through the

simileof the +hiveli"e conglomerations/that flower as wart# growths). This is

!uxtaposedwith the ideal of the American 0ream, represented through the metaphorof(implacable fires of human desperation) which emphasi'e the impossibilit# of theAmerican 0ream, a notion that hard wor! and courage inevitabl# leads to prosperit#. *t is

this dream that Amanda -ingfield escapes to, (Tr# and #ou will succeed0) and ironicallythe ob"ect from which her son, Tom, the narrator of the pla# escapes from. Tom&s

argument that, +'an is b# instinct a lover$ a hunter$ a fighter$ and none of those instinctsare given much pla# at the warehouse0) is!uxtaposedthrough his escape into (the

movies night after night) The h#pocritical nature of Tom illustrates man&s tendenc# to

delve further into illusion as the amount of problems increase. The allusionto the(revolution in/&uernica) is!uxtaposedto the uneas# peace in America and parallelsTom&s want to escape from his volatile surroundings. This is symboli"ed through the fire

escape, a visuall# prominent part of the set which conve#s possibilit# of a wa# out andTom fascination with the image of the magician that (got out of the coffin without

removing one nail). The coffin representsTom&s life to which he is confined and the

nails s#mboli'e the emotional constraints and obligations Tom has towards his sister

crippled sister, Laura. Laura herself +lives in a world of her own1a world of1little glassornaments) and the brea!ing of the animals b# Tom foreshadowshis abandonment of

fraternal duties towards Laura. Tom&s confession at the end of the pla#, ( 2h Laura..(

tried to leave #ou behind me$ but ( am more faithful than ( intended to be0) shows thatTom must confront his issues not run awa# from them Thus -illiams uses s#mbols and

"uxtaposition to reveal that although the problems of the human condition are alleviated

b# fantas#, the problems remain and it is better to deal with them than escape them.

/ichael ow&s Awa# deals with the cornerstones of the human condition, mortalit# and

loss, and highlights the strength of the human condition in coping with these aspects. Thepla# is set within 1234 Australia and the profound loss caused b# the senseless 5ietnam

-ar is reflected through the character of 6oral, who son was !illed in the war. er

inabilit# to confront her emotional pain transforms her into a (ghost) li!e state and is

exemplified through her moving soliloquywhere she questions, ((s it better for them todie li"e that* Li"e gods*) The rhetorical questionsallow the responders to sense her

inner pain. 6oral&s incapabilit# to cope with her grief is further agitated b# her husband,

7o#&s lac! of support. 7o#8s insistence that it was right to 9,efend that 3high4 standard3of living49 b# fighting the war is contrasted to the evasive repl# of 6oral8s 9helpme

choose a dress9. *t is onl# through her emotional connection with Tom, a #oung bo# with

leu!emia, does 6oral begin to transform. The intertextualityof /idsummer :ight&sdream, in which Tom is uc!, foreshadowshis role as the restorer here to (ma"e

amends). 6oral&s acceptance of her son&s death is shown metaphoricallyin the allegory

of ;The Stranger on the Shore&. The pla# parallels6oral&s inabilit# to detach herself

from her lost loved one. 6oral&s lines read (in her own voice) of ((m wal"ing/ (mwal"ing) reflects her acceptance of death through Tom&s acceptance of his. Therefore

6oral develops resilience through her losses.

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wen&s materialistic outloo! on life, (%e5ve got a new caravan. Ever#thing in it #ou

could want), is a result of her struggle during her #outh against The reat 0epression and

is symboli"edthrough her reliance on (be6 powder). The destruction of her all materialpossessions in the storm forces wen to confront her materialism and become a stronger

person in the process, ,(what do #ou thin" of me* (m sorr#/ and not 7ust to #ou/to

ever#bod#). The storm is also a metaphor for the healing power of nature, paralleled b#ow&s use of light and the outdoors. After the storm (there is dar"ness) then the (light

becomes warm and intense.), signif#ing the positive outcomes the human conditionexperiences that result from loss.