Master of Arts major in English as a Second Language
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Item Nature and destiny of man in the selected short stories of Leo Tolstoy: A structural-hermeneutical study(2015-09) Chawag, Richelle A.Often, existential themes in literature appear in the form of characters experiencing an "existential crisis" of some type. This existential crises force man to ask himself what his true nature is, his true meaning, his true essence as a human being and his destiny. When the surface meaning of his existence is stripped away, he finally realizes what is deep within him - his significance. The quest or search for man's nature and destiny is addressed by theologians, philosophers and literary artists - each making an attempt to provide man answers to his existential questions. Philosophers Kierkegaard, Aquinas and others make their claims on man's existence and essence; theologians provide Biblical descriptions and explanations to man's origin, nature and future against denominational background; while literary artists such as Gaines, Daihatsu and Tolstoy depict their views on such moral-philosophical themes through the use of stylistic devices and approaches. writer and a landowner for wrong reasons, began a committed search for the true meaning of life. The main aim of this study was to determine Leo Tolstoy's existential beliefs woven into his fiction works. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What referential concepts are depicted in Tolstoy's selected short stories? 2. What binary opposites were employed by Tolstoy in revealing his non-referential concepts on man's nature and man's destiny along (a) characters (b) plot 3. What semiotic units/structures were employed by Tolstoy in revealing his non-referential concepts? Based on the analysis of the selected short stories, the following findings were arrived at: 1. The referential concepts which Tolstoy depicted in the selected short stories include concepts on: a. The military's role during the colonial period such as: (1) The military is instrumental in the colonizer's implementation of unjust laws. (2) The military is instrumental in the perpetration of crimes against humanity. b. Civil disobedience is an answer to unjust laws. c. The practices of leaders in institutionalized church mire the true spirit of Christianity. 2. Binary opposites were used by Tolstoy in revealing his concepts on man's nature and destiny along characters and plot. a) Along characters, the concept that "Man consists of a carnal nature and a spiritual nature that battle against each other" is revealed by the following binary opposites: (1) Vasili vs. Nikita (2) Elder sister vs. Younger sister (3) Old Woman cuddling her baby vs. old woman pulling the boy's hair (4)Makar and 'Ivan b) Along plot, the concepts: "Anyone who asks God's forgiveness of his sins and releases forgiveness to others leads himself to spiritual freedom" and "The end of a spiritual man is peace and hope with God but the end of a carnal man is regret and hopelessness with the Devil" are revealed by the following binary opposites: (1) Freedom versus imprisonment of characters (2) Quest versus rest of characters 3. The semiotic structures/units used to reveal Tolstoy's non-referential concepts include: a) Metonymy b) Sex/gender indices c) Pronouns Based on the findings, the following were concluded: 1. Generally, Tolstoy's literary masterpieces were allegorical symbolisms of the religious and political discontent of Leo Tolstoy. a) The military is a powerful machinery of any government that is prone to manipulation by those in power and is capable of creating an irreversible global damage. b) Tolstoy strongly adheres to the teachings of Christ on love and compassion, peace and meekness. c) Christianity is not a religion but it is a personal day- to day relationship with Christ marked with love and compassion. 2.Tolstoy's contrasting fictional characters and contrasting fictional events parallel his nature as a person and the events that surrounded his life. He realized that: (a) Man's physical and spiritual nature are always in conflict with each other. The former seeks to please itself; the latter seeks to please God. (b) There are always two ele0ments of human culture and these elements can only be understood in relation to one another. 3. Tolstoy is a master of using non-referential indices to enrich the pragmatic meanings of the signs(characters and plot) he employs in his short stories that carry dual if not multiple concepts. Based on the conclusions, the following are recommended: 1.A comparative study on Tolstoy' fiction works and Alexander Solzhenitsyn be conducted to determine the similarities in terms of: a) Moral philosophies b) Stylistic use of historical accounts. 2. Another study could be conducted on Tolstoy's use of binary opposites to reveal his concepts on man's nature and destiny in his novels like "War and Peace" and Anna Karenina. 3. Another study be conducted to determine the other semiotic units used in other literary works of Leo Tolstoy not taken in this study to further establish Tolstoy's masterful use of Structural-hermeneutics.