Friday, April 23, 2010
Gandhi's Humility
While I was aware that one of the most common conceptions about Ghandi was that he was a very humble man, I didn't realize the extent to which he went in order to maintain his humility. I thought it was very interesting that he came from an affluent background and consciously made a decision to remain in poverty, which is a sharp contrast to some of the other protagonists in other stories we have read who go to great lengths in order to escape their impoverished conditions. Gandhi's manner in which he tries to live a sinless lifestyle is also very interesting. It seems that Ghandi serves as a sort of polar opposite to Stephen Dedalus from Portrait of the Artist: While Dedalus fully embraces the life of sin and vice, Gandhi fully rejects it, and yet the two both seem to have a similar understanding of the nature of sin itself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I thought Prof. Shinvgavi pointed out something extremely crucial regarding Ganghi's choice of poverty, which you, too, Travis, have noted. It is because Gandhi had the OPTION to be poor, rather than being forced into it, that he was able to derive so much joy from it. I understand that he realized that one could indeed be happy by living as a minimalist, but considering that in actuality, he had a means for living always at hand, I'm not sure he could ever fully appreciate the gravity of poverty.
ReplyDeleteTry as we might to put ourselves in other people's shoes, we never fully comprehend the complexity of their situations. Gandhi's background of financial stability really does set him apart from the majority of our previous protagonists.
I like your comparison to Joyce's work. I think the contrast is further heightened by the fact that Ghandi seems to see himself as a product of his own choices and decisions, whereas Dedalus's story tries to show how being an artist is not a choice, but a fundamental difference. He was always different whether he wanted to be or not, wheres Ghandi's narrative shows us moments where he consciously chose to break with those around him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ben, your comparison to Joyce and his understanding of sin is very interesting. As Ben put it, Dedalus feels he’s an artist and he can’t help it, I believe that as result he feels as if he’s entitled to sin or that it is some sort of right of passage on his journey to being an artist. Another parallel that I think is worth pointing out is the comparisons between what these men hope to gain or what they think they’re gaining from their experiences. Both men are obviously hoping to gain knowledge about themselves and human experience in the context of colonialism, nationalism, etc., but while Dedalus concerns are only for the creation of his own true character, Gandhi feels discovering his true character will benefit and further all of humanity.
ReplyDelete