The Wanting Seed Analysis
The Wanting Seed
The Wanting Seed, a novel written by Anthony Burgess, shows that nothing of undeniable control merely imposes on the best intentions of the rational mind. Tristram is a history teacher in a future reality where the liberal government rules with a shaking finger, the population has exploded and drastically reduced the quality of life. As his community changes due to the cycle of sociological thought, in which his government revolves about, he is thrust in to a new chaotic, cannibalistic, transformed world where his only thoughts are regaining himself and the life he used to live. The three phases of the cycle are the Pelphase, the Interphase, and the Gusphase. Each phase tries to understand its community but when broken down …show more content…
Governments operating within a Pelagian view see man as essentially good or reasonable. The belief is that, given the proper encouragement and led in the correct direction, men will act within a moral structure that benefits the entire community. Law enforcement is casual, "each floor that rose before Tristam's eyes showed boys not yet in their new classrooms, some not even scurrying. The Pelphase. Nobody tried to enforce the rules. The work got done. More or less." (24). With this lack of law enforcement in the Pelphase, the people are bound to start to take advantage of it. The people will cut corners and get away with more. Whether it is acts of violence, stealing, or any other …show more content…
They relax their authority and the state drifts into the Gusphase, named after St. Augustus, who believed that man was primarily evil. The society at this point is complete chaos, cannibalism is discovered and people are killing others just for fresh food, the food companies even have the essence of man which the government buys and serves to their army. "The new books were full of sex and death, perhaps the only materials for a writer."(228). The disappointment cannot sink any further. However, the new view on the people is outstripping to reality and society behavior is better than expected and optimism appears. Eventually Gusphase reasserts back into Pelphase, and the cycle renews
The Wanting Seed, a novel written by Anthony Burgess, shows that nothing of undeniable control merely imposes on the best intentions of the rational mind. Tristram is a history teacher in a future reality where the liberal government rules with a shaking finger, the population has exploded and drastically reduced the quality of life. As his community changes due to the cycle of sociological thought, in which his government revolves about, he is thrust in to a new chaotic, cannibalistic, transformed world where his only thoughts are regaining himself and the life he used to live. The three phases of the cycle are the Pelphase, the Interphase, and the Gusphase. Each phase tries to understand its community but when broken down …show more content…
Governments operating within a Pelagian view see man as essentially good or reasonable. The belief is that, given the proper encouragement and led in the correct direction, men will act within a moral structure that benefits the entire community. Law enforcement is casual, "each floor that rose before Tristam's eyes showed boys not yet in their new classrooms, some not even scurrying. The Pelphase. Nobody tried to enforce the rules. The work got done. More or less." (24). With this lack of law enforcement in the Pelphase, the people are bound to start to take advantage of it. The people will cut corners and get away with more. Whether it is acts of violence, stealing, or any other …show more content…
They relax their authority and the state drifts into the Gusphase, named after St. Augustus, who believed that man was primarily evil. The society at this point is complete chaos, cannibalism is discovered and people are killing others just for fresh food, the food companies even have the essence of man which the government buys and serves to their army. "The new books were full of sex and death, perhaps the only materials for a writer."(228). The disappointment cannot sink any further. However, the new view on the people is outstripping to reality and society behavior is better than expected and optimism appears. Eventually Gusphase reasserts back into Pelphase, and the cycle renews